Those are lies
by xana4
Summary: Hermione chooses her side but a dark and twisted secret can change everything that everyone knows about her. The summary sucks but please read the prologue and let me know what you think about it. HERMIONE/DRACO right after chapter 1
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

Hermione stared at her reflection in the mirror and a single tear made its way down her face.

This was who she really was and she couldn't deny it anymore. It was time to face the reality because things would never be the same ever again. The war would come, eventually and the sides had to be chosen.

Hermione had already made that decision and she was almost sure that it was the right one.

She looked to her reflection one more time before getting up and looking at her bedroom. It was a normal bedroom, despite the situation that she was in. The walls were painted with a very light blue that always managed to remind her of the purity of the sky and the ceiling was painted in a very pale pink that always managed to remember her that there was a little girl inside of her that still believed in happiness and love.

Hermione looked at her dress and sighed. She was wearing a black dress that reached the floor but was sleeveless, showing much more skin than what she was used to do at Hogwarts. Her shoes were much higher than the ones that she would wear during the school year but she knew that it was okay in here.

She looked at that mirror one more time before exiting the bedroom, the dark mark stinging in her left forearm. Her choice had already been made!

**This is my idea to start a new story about Harry Potter. If you like it, leave a review and I'll post the next chapter as soon as I can.**

**Sarah**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi everyone that is reading my story! I'm sorry that it took this long to post the first chapter but I needed to make it good. Please read the note on the end because it has some information that you'll need to understand a few things on future chapters. Anyway, reviews make me smile and work harder so please let me know what you think if you want me to keep writing.**

**Sarah**

**Chapter 1**

Hermione walked to the classroom with her potion's books in her hands. Her hair was straight, just the way that she liked it but her body was still hidden by her school robes. She had to pretend that everything was normal even though things were far from normal to her. She had to pretend to be on Harry's side even though her left forearm showed otherwise. Hermione knew that even if she arrived a bit late at Potions Snape wouldn't say a thing because he knew that the Dark Lord had given her a task, a very important one and that she needed to fulfill until the end of the school year. This was just her first day of school and she was already thinking about ways to do what he expected her to do.

Her thoughts were interrupted when a hand grabbed her and pulled her into an empty classroom, another hand covering her mouth immediately to keep her from screaming. The hallways were desert because no one wanted to get late on their first day with a new teacher and that made the task of her attacker a lot easier. Hermione had no intentions of screaming because she knew that hand…Not many boys in Hogwarts had a ring like that on their fingers. She heard the door being locked behind her and dropped her books onto an empty desk before turning around.

"You know, if you want to talk to me there are other ways to do it! You don't need to brutally attack me…"

Draco gave her one of those special smiles that were saved for her eyes only.

"I didn't attack you…And I don't want to talk to you!"

Before she had time to ask what he meant with that, her body was being pinned to the wall and his lips met hers with force. He kissed her passionately and Hermione kissed back, opening her mouth to give him full access when he licked her lips asking for it. His tongue explored every inch of her mouth, letting her know how much he had missed her on the two weeks that they had been away from eachother.

When air became an issue, they both pulled back and Draco brushed her freshly cut bangs away from her forehead, looking into her eyes.

"How were the last two weeks of your summer?"

Hermione sighed and pushed him away from her body. Having him so close to her was a distraction and she could barely think let alone speak when his hands rested on her waist or hips.

"You mean the two weeks in which you left me all alone with the psycho?"

Draco laughed a bit and sat on one of the desks. They still had a few minutes before class so they could talk for a bit.

"Mia, that psycho is your mother…"

"She's completely lunatic! You should have seen the clothes that she made me wear…Besides, she insisted on cutting these awful bangs on my hair!"

Draco laughed once again and pulled her closer, making her stand between his legs, touching her bangs that she hated so much.

"It's not that bad, love! You know that she means well…"

Hermione sighed once again. "I know that she means well but it's a bit maddening. She's trying to convince me to paint my bedroom walls black! You know how much I love my blue walls and my pink ceiling…"

"You know as well as I do that if she really wants to do that she won't need your permission to do it. She will just paint them before you go back home!"

Hermione sighed and grabbed her books. She needed to go back to the hallways to make her way to the classroom. They only had five more minutes before class started but they could still make it on time. After kissing Draco goodbye she exited the classroom and started to walk there. Draco would follow her a few seconds after just in case someone was there watching them.

Draco knew the whole truth. He wasn't happy about it but he had promised to support her no matter what. He would never accept to become one of his followers but if that's what she needed to do then he would be there for her. He couldn't pretend that he understood her reasons to do that but he knew why she was doing it. It was a noble reason, if he thought about it, but it was still not good enough to betray Harry and Ron's trust. He had warned her that as soon as they found out the truth, they would never trust her again but she had answered him with a shrug of her shoulders.

Hermione entered the classroom and realized with some relief that the teacher wasn't there yet. She pretend to be relieved but the truth was that she couldn't care less about it. She already knew everything that there was to know about Potions so, in her opinion, going to that class was rather pointless. She put on her innocent girl mask in front of her friends and walked to her seat, under the intense stare of Ron and Harry who were surprised that they had gotten there before her. They didn't dare to say anything about it but if they had, she would have just made something up so she wasn't worried, not even the slightest bit.

It turned out that the man who walked inside wasn't Snape but another guy that she had never seen before in Hogwarts. She pushed that thought away and noticed that Draco was already sitting next to Blaise. Zabini had visited them a couple of times during the summer but Hermione wasn't a huge fan of him. The only thing that he cared about was that stupid blood status and just kept asking her when he would be able to become a Death Eater. Hermione knew that Draco wasn't happy about the idea of having him around either because of the same reasons. Every time that he would mention anything about the Mark, Draco would just roll his eyes and change the subject of the conversation.

After the class, Harry was still looking at her a bit weirdly and that was starting to get to her nerves. She always restrained herself from showing her 'friends' her terrible attitude but that boy was pushing it too far for her taste.

They were sitting at the lunch table when she finally snapped.

"Is there something wrong with my face, Harry?"

Harry sighed and looked around to make sure that no one was paying attention to their talk. After he was satisfied with the level of security, he looked at her again and leaned in to whisper:

"I need to talk to you about a few dreams that I've been having for a couple of weeks now. Can we meet in the library before dinner?"

Hermione just nodded and went back to her lunch. Harry trusted her and that was probably why she was such a valuable person in the Dark Lord's army. He knew that her help was crucial and Hermione wouldn't give him any reasons to believe otherwise.

**X**

**X**

Harry entered the library and spotted Hermione right away. She was sitting on a chair while reading a book. He sat next to her and she looked up. Harry was sitting there with a nervous expression on his face and Hermione wondered just how serious this was.

"I've been having some really weird dreams lately." He started.

"What kind of dreams?"

"In most of the dreams, I see a woman running in the woods and yelling something like 'Sirius is alive'."

"How do you even know that that person is a woman?"

"Because I can clearly see a dress and painted fingernails. The problem is not the woman. Every time that I wake up I get the feeling that someone is trying to tell me something with those dreams, like as if someone is trying to send me a message in dream format. Is that possible?"

Hermione sighed and pretended to think about his question for a second before answering:

"Harry, it is possible but it's also possible that you want that to be true so much that you have that feeling. Sirius is dead and we both know it. We saw Bellatrix kill him right in front of us. That might be just a dream but you should probably talk to Dumbledore about it. I'm sure that he'll be able to help you a lot better than I can."

Harry nodded and they both got up to go to dinner. Hermione knew the truth about those strange dreams but she couldn't risk telling him. It was just too dangerous.

**X**

**X**

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_**SOME NOTES ABOUT THE STORY THAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:**_

**.Draco is not a Death Eater**

**.Bellatrix is not related to Draco**

**.Harry and Ginny are already dating**

**.Ron doesn't have a crush on Hermione**


	3. Chapter 3

**Read the note in the end of the chapter, please!**

**Chapter 2**

Christmas had come earlier than the last couple of years for Hermione. She was sure that it had something to do with the fact that for the first time since she had entered Hogwarts they hadn't gotten in any weird adventures. She was still keeping up with the façade that everything was okay and that she was the same as she had always been. Harry was still having those 'weird nightmares' and he was starting to think that they actually meant something. Hermione didn't really care about what he thought about the dreams as long as he kept having them. It was for the best.

Draco was a bit upset mainly because he hadn't liked a few things that she had done but he still kept his word and supported her no matter what. Hermione was honestly afraid that he would eventually get sick of the all thing all together and that he would break up with her. She loved him and she knew that she would be absolutely crushed if that were to happen.

When it came to her task, thing weren't going exactly as initially planned. Hermione had already made a try to fulfill it but it had been in vain. She had given the poisoned necklace to a girl that she barely knew with some very specific orders. She couldn't touch him in any occasion and under any circumstances and the necklace couldn't be given to anyone else but Dumbledore. Unfortunately, the girl had touched the necklace and the spell had worked with her instead of Dumbledore. That turned out to be very hard work for her. Hermione had to wander in the hallways in the middle of the night, visit the girl in the hospital wing and take away all her memories of their talk together. No one could know about that so Hermione had to do whatever was needed to make sure that her secret was safe.

Now, Hermione was on her way to spend Christmas with her mother. Draco was going to spend Christmas with his mother and Harry was going to spend the holidays with Ron and his family. Hermione knew that her holidays wouldn't be used to rest. Her mother was planning on teach her as much as she could so her daughter could become a great wizard, not that she needed because she was already Dark Lord's favorite. As soon as she walked through the doors of her bedroom, Hermione screamed in anger and Kreacher (the house-elf) was by her side in less than one second with a worried look on his face.

"Is Miss alright?"

Hermione turned to him and she could swear that there was smoke coming out of her ears by now.

"I gave strict instructions to everyone before I left…Who painted these walls?"

The house-elf was getting a bit scared but Hermione was way past caring at that point.

"Your mother did, Miss Hermione!"

Hermione stormed past the scared house-elf and made her way to the basement where she knew that her mother would be. As soon as the woman saw her, she smiled at her daughter, clearly ignoring the anger in her face.

"Hermione, I didn't know that you were back already! Kreacher must have forgotten to tell me…"

"Mother, what did I tell you before I left?"

"You said many things before you left…Am I supposed to remember one in particular?"

"Yes, you're supposed to remember the one in which I specifically asked you not to paint my walls black. You know that I hate black on my walls…It's horrible and it blocks out all the light!"

The older woman just smiled and turned back to the task at hand.

"You won't be spending that much time in it anyway…The Dark Lord wants us to go to the Malfoy Manor. He said that he wants to talk to you and there are some things that need to be done before you go back to school. I wouldn't bother unpacking if I were you."

Hermione just sighed and went back upstairs. She knew that her holidays wouldn't be spent resting.

X

X

Hermione walked inside of the Malfoy Manor and was greeted by Draco who was sitting on the living room with a newspaper in his hands. After the usual greeting kiss he sighed and sat back down on the couch.

"Your mother is already downstairs with them…She told me to send you there as soon as you walked through the doors. It seems like they're up to no good tonight so I'd hurry if I were you!"

She could see that he really didn't want her to go. Hermione knew that he feared for her safety and that he knew that every night that she said goodbye could be her last one. She knew that if this was the other way around, she would be in panic until the moment he walked back inside of the house. Hermione just kissed him one more time and gave him a small sad smile before going to meet her master.

Voldemort was already waiting for her but he just nodded when he saw her. Everyone knew that if it were any other one of them walking in late, there would be hell to pay but it was okay when that person as Hermione. She had quickly become his favorite, probably because she was a very valuable accent to him and a very powerful witch.

She joined her mother and some other Death Eaters that were gathered around a table and the Dark Lord began his speech.

"As you all know, Dumbledore is no longer our main concern. We need to show Potter that we're not joking and that this is for real. That's why tonight we are going to hit him where it hurts. We'll attack the Weasels. That will show him that this time it's for real and that we're stronger than ever before. Hermione, you'll stay here with the prisoners tonight. We can't risk him finding out that you're on our side just yet. The rest of you will go and scare him. Don't kill anyone for now. I just want him scared. Bellatrix, please remember what I just said: don't kill anyone!"

With that said, he Disaparrate in a blink of an eye and his followers did exactly was requested.

Hermione went to check the prisoners and immediately spotted the one that she was looking for. Sirius Black was always a great fun to talk to and she loved to see his face when she talked to the one that he had named the brightest witch her age a few years ago. How things had changed…

**X**

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**I'm sorry that it took me a while to update but I was a bit busy this week. About the questions that someone made me in a review, they will all be answered in the story…Just give it time! Sirius is alive as you can see. Any guesses to who is Hermione's mother? I'd like to know what you think. I know that everything seems a bit confusing now but you'll understand everything as the chapters go by, I promise.**

**Hermione will talk to Sirius on the next chapter so don't miss it.**

**Anyway, reviews are appreciated.**

**Sarah**


	4. Chapter 4

**Here's the chapter. Please read and review…**

**Chapter 3**

Hermione sat in front of Sirius and smiled at him. It was a sweet and innocent smile, two things that she wasn't anymore. Her bedroom walls were black and with that, she had nothing else to remember her that there could be good things in the world and that maybe that little kid inside of her could still believe in a world full of peace and happiness. Hermione wasn't that girl anymore. She knew that the world had gone mad and the only thing left for her to do was join the side that would most definitely win this war that was about to start. Sirius looked at her with disgust and hate written all over his face but Hermione just laughed. A little voice inside of her told her that she should feel upset with that look because Sirius had been one of those people who had once trusted her but she decided to ignore that stupid little voice, just like she had been doing for quite a while now. It was the same voice that kept telling her that she should tell the whole truth to Harry and the same voice that kept telling her that she should leave Draco because he would be a lot safer without her around. Hermione got rid of those thoughts and offered Sirius a bright smile before starting their talk.

"Sirius, it's always so good to see you! How are you on this lovely evening?"

Sirius just turned his head away making Hermione angry. Things were already complicated…she didn't need him to make them even worse. She grabbed his chin and made him turn his head to her.

"Why won't you answer me? What have I done to you?"

When he spoke, his words were coated with anger and a hint of disappointment.

"You betrayed Harry. He trusts you and you're fighting against him. You and your master will lose this war and when you do, Harry will kill you because of everything you've done to him."

"And what have I done to him, Sirius? As far as I'm concerned, I've been Harry Potter's loyal friend ever since we met in our first year in Hogwarts. As far as I'm concerned, I'm the only one who has always been by his side, no matter what. Even Ronald turned his back to him like a scared and jealous little rat at some point but not me…No, I was always there for Harry Potter no matter how hard things were or how stupid I thought his decisions were. That's what will happen in this war, you know? Everyone will eventually leave and Harry will have to fight all on his own. How do you think that that will turn out for him?"

"Harry will never have to fight on his own. He has friends that would never abandon him."

"Is that so? I'm dying to see what happens when those friends see their friends and family dying right in front of them. Do you think that they'll remain by the side of the Boy-who-lived, fighting for a good cause? No, they'll walk away. Eventually, everyone will walk away and we both know that Harry can't do anything by himself."

Seeing Sirius slightly worried face, Hermione just laughed and got up to leave the basement. She turned back right before reaching the door and turned back to him, still with an innocent smile on her face.

"But don't worry, Sirius…He'll always have the two of us, right?"

Hermione laughed once again and walked out of the basement to go and have some alone time with Draco before they got back. Maybe this Christmas wouldn't be so bad after all.

X

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Harry was sitting on the living room, trying to convince everyone there that Draco Malfoy was a Death Eater but no one would believe him. He wasn't completely sure if he believed it himself but all the proofs pointed to his enemy.

"Harry, Draco might be the son of a Death Eater but the Dark Lord wouldn't trust a boy who is only 17 years old with a responsibility like that."

"I'm telling you, Draco is a Death Eater and he's the one who tried to kill Dumbledore with that poisoned necklace."

Before anyone else could say anything, what seemed to be a very dark cloud surrounded the house and all the men jumped to action immediately. Everyone grabbed their wands and made their way outside to see what was going on. The dark cloud was already gone but there was still weird noises coming from the woods. Suddenly, a much smaller dark cloud surrounded them and made a ring of fire on the floor all around the house. Everyone took a step back. There were no doubts that they were surrounded by Death Eaters anymore. Then, Harry heard a female voice that was strangely familiar. It only took him a few seconds to realize that it was the voice that haunted his nightmares. As soon as he realized that, Harry grabbed his wand and ran to the woods all alone, jumping over the ring of fire and running to try to find the owner of the voice. This time, the sentence that was being repeated over and over again wasn't the same.

"I killed Sirius Black! I killed Sirius Black! I killed Sirius Black!"

He was getting closer to the voice when it finally stopped. He looked around and saw that there wasn't anyone near him. His wand was still pointed but he couldn't see anyone.

"Who's there? Show yourself!"

He heard steps and pointed his wand in the direction of the noise but the only person who was there was Ginny. Harry pulled her closer to protect her but it was useless because he had no idea of where the danger was coming from. After just a few more seconds, three dark clouds made their way to the sky, disappearing into the night without leaving trace. Harry grabbed Ginny's hand and made his way back to the house. He knew that that voice belonged to Bellatrix but it made no sense at all. She had been saying that she had killed Sirius but in his nightmares, she was always saying that Sirius was alive. The more he thought about it, the more confused he got so he decided to focus on helping everyone around him for now. He would talk to Dumbledore and Hermione about those dreams when he got back to school.

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_Thank you for all the reviews, story alerts and everything else…Keep it coming, please!_

_Sarah_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4 _(please read AN on the end of the chapter)_

Hermione walked inside of her bedroom to pick up her bags to go back to Hogwarts. Christmas was officially over and it was time to go back to school. Hermione looked around her bedroom and had the sudden surge of throw up just by looking at those black walls that she hated so much. The young witch grabbed her bags and made her way downstairs after taking another look inside her bedroom and closing the door behind her with a sigh.

She was honestly startled when her mother appeared right in front of her.

"Mother, can't you at least warn before you do that?"

"And what would be the fun in that? Why are you so jumpy anyway?"

"I'm the daughter of a Death Eater, my father is being held captive in the basement of the Malfoy Manor, I'm a Death Eater, my boyfriend hates what I do, my master thinks I'm the best one between his followers, I have to kill Dumbledore until the end of the school year, Harry and Ron have no idea of what I'm doing and can't find out either, Snape has been watching me all the time…Are those enough reasons or do you need more?"

"You have too much on your mind. You need to learn to be more like me. You have to learn how to be like your family, my dear. As for the other things, you'll be just fine. This life runs in your veins…You have nothing to worry about. And I really don't see the problem with being the Dark Lord's favorite… Do you have any idea how many people would like to be in your shoes?"

Hermione sighed and turned to her mother that wore a big smile on her face.

"I want my walls back!"

"Don't worry with the walls…I don't understand what's your problem with black! You wear black all the time…"

"Yes, but not in my walls…Please, mother, paint them back as they were before?"

"I'll think about it. Now go before you miss the train!"

Hermione kissed her mother's cheek and left.

**X**

**X**

Snape was angry. Better yet, Snape was absolutely pissed and unfortunately for her, Hermione was on the receiving end of his anger. A while ago he had given detention to a student during a full month just because he had thrown up on his shoes after a mistake with a spell during class.

He was pacing back and forth on his classroom without making eye-contact with her. After a few minutes of this, he finally snapped:

"How can you be so reckless? Do you not know what can happen to you if anyone ever found out? I think that you still are the brightest witch your age but right now you are not acting upon that title. What's going on inside that head of yours? Ronald Weasley is on the hospital wing right now. You were lucky that Harry Potter actually remembered a few things from class otherwise he would be dead by now and don't even think that a student's death within these walls is taken lightly. They would find you in a blink of an eye!"

Hermione had never been one to respond well to criticism, especially when that criticism came from Snape, so she fired back, without thinking about the consequences. She knew that an angry Snape was a very scary sight to see but she couldn't think straight when her own anger was blinding her.

"I know all that but I also know that Ronal is just fine so there's no reason for me to have to sit through this talk. I'm simply doing what my master ordered me to do!"

"No, you are being reckless! He did not tell you to put poison on a drink that would be given to Dumbledore. That's called wasting time and that is not what he told you to do. His order was a very direct one and your time to do it is running out. If you can't do it at least say so!"

"I can do it and I will do it. I just need more time!"

"You've had time…You've had plenty of time and yet you still haven't done anything worth mentioning. It's time for me to take the matter on my own hands. Don't do anything else, I'll solve this mess!"

With that, he opened the door and made her walk out of the room. Hermione walked out of the room angrier than what she had ever been before. Things were not going as planned and that could mean that her plan was not going to work either and Hermione couldn't afford that. She needed her plan to work because many lives were in risk. Besides, she had to keep a promise that she had made a while ago and she wouldn't let anyone down. Hermione knew that Snape was going to call everyone so they could watch her kill Dumbledore with the killing curse…That's what he meant when he said that he would take the matter on his own hands. She knew that she would have to kill Dumbledore but she was hoping that she could use other means instead of the killing curse. Hermione could handle Imperius curse and even Cruciatus curse but there was something about the other one that always managed to make her flinch. Anyway, she knew that her fate was already decided for her.

**X**

**X**

Harry watched as Snape stormed by him, without even glancing in his direction. He wouldn't want to be the student that he was mad at because that face only meant trouble. The he heard something that made him freeze and hide in a place that no one would see him in.

"You made an Unbreakable vow, Snape!"

Snape turned to the voice's direction and so did Harry. Why was Hermione talking to Snape like that? Harry could see that Snape was shocked but he figured that it was because of Hermione's tone of voice. Yet, the words that she said after that made him re-think it.

"You thought that I wouldn't find out? I'm not stupid and I'm certainly not someone that you need to look after. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

Harry could hear the anger in her voice but he was too shocked to even process that.

"I know that you are but as I'm sure that you know, your father fears for your safety and with good reason."

"You don't get to do that…you don't get to try to make me change my mind! I've already told you that my decision has been made a long time ago, Severus!"

"I know that but all I'm saying is that maybe you should think about your priorities. You shouldn't be doing this just because an old man is asking you to…You shouldn't even be doing this at all! You're way too young for this, Mia!"

"You don't get to judge that…You're not my father!"

"I've known you since the day you were born…I know you better than your own father! Why are we talking about this, again? I already told you that I'm taking the matter on my own hands and that is the end of this conversation, Hermione. Go to your dorm and rest…You'll need strength for tomorrow!"

With that, Snape walked away and Hermione stormed in the opposite direction. Harry was too shocked to even move. He couldn't even understand what had just happened…

**X**

**X**

Hermione made her way to the Room of Requirement and waited for a few minutes. She had a meeting there with Draco because they had found out a while ago that that was the only place safe enough for them to spend some alone time.

Draco showed up and kissed her. He could feel that something was wrong with Hermione but he was always afraid to ask her what was wrong these days because he was honestly afraid of her answer. He couldn't handle even imagine his sweet and adorable Hermione inflicting pain on someone so he decided not to ask at all. He'd rather not know what she had to do because of that mark on her arm.

He just kissed her and held her in his arms, trying to offer her some comfort.

**X**

**X**

Harry entered the dorm still in shock but he tried to disguise it so Ron wouldn't notice. He sat on one of the beds and turned to Ron.

"Do you know what an Unbreakable Vow is?"

Ron just shrugged and turned to him to answer his question.

"Well, you can't break an Unbreakable Vow!"

"I figured that much out for myself, believe it or not!"

"No, I mean that if you break an Unbreakable Vow, you die!"

Harry just nodded and started to think about reasons why Snape would make one of those vows for Hermione. Why would he risk his own life for her?

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**Hi everyone!**

**I only had 2 reviews on my last chapter so it would be really nice if I had a few more on this one. Please, let me know what you think about it so I know what to do.**

**xoxo Sarah**

**BTW, if anyone wants to be my facebook friend, just send me a private message with your name and I'll add you. I'll warn whenever I have a new idea so you can tell me what you think about it…I'll be waiting!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 4 (AN on the end of the chapter)**

Harry had been avoiding Hermione all day long but that was the last thing on her mind at the moment. He was probably suspicious about something but she didn't care because she knew that she would leave the school that night.

Hermione climbed up the steps of the Astronomy Tower with her wand raised. The time had come and she had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. Dumbledore should be alone up there but she had heard voices so she was assuming that there was someone there with him. He might be old but she was sure that he was not crazy just yet. The old teacher looked at her as soon as she walked through the doors of the top of the tower.

"Good evening, Hermione. What brings you here on this fine, school evening?" The man's voice seemed calm and relaxed like as if he knew what was about to happen but Hermione knew that he probably did know. She was still suspicious about the voice that she had heard.

"Who else is here? I heard you talking." While saying that she looked around with her wand trained into every direction and ready to curse whoever showed up. Dumbledore smiled again, that calm and knowing smile that always got on her nerves. It was the smile of a man who thought that he had the answer to every question in this world. It was the smile of the man who had made her ruin her life, for a good cause but it still hurt.

"I often talk loud to myself. I find it extraordinarily useful. Have you been whispering to you yourself, my dear? Hermione, you are _no_ assassin."

Hermione laughed this time. It seemed that he didn't have the answer to everything because he was wrong when it came to that.

"How do you know what I am? I've done things that would shock you!"

The old man looked at her once again with that annoying look on his eyes.

"Like cursing Katie Bell and hoping that in return, she would bear a cursed necklace to me? Like replacing a bottle of mead with one laced with poison? Forgive me, Hermione, but I cannot help feeling these actions are so weak, your heart couldn't really be in them."

Hermione knew that those had been the harmless things that she had done. She couldn't say that she hadn't used the Cruciatus curse, not after last Christmas anyway.

"He trusts me! I was chosen and I won't let him down!" Hermione snapped, revealing the mark on her arm to the teacher that she had once trusted.

"I shall make it easy for you..." he said, lifting his wand.

Hermione was quick and jumped into action right away. "_Expelliarmus!"_

Dumbledore smiled again, this time with a hint of pride.

" Very good, very good."

The sound of a door opening in the distance makes him look behind her but Hermione didn't move. She knew what was happening so she just stood there with her wand pointed in his direction. The professor looked back at her.

"You're not alone? There are others? How?"

This time he seemed a bit surprised and Hermione smiled and laughed a bit. She had managed to surprise Albus Dumbledore…That was definitely something that not many people could say. She had managed to hide something from him. He had no idea of how she had brought other Death Eaters into the Castle.

"The Vanishing Cabinet in the Room of Requirement. I've been mending it."

The man seemed surprised once again. He wasn't expecting that to happen. He had spent so long making sure that the protective shields around Hogwarts were well secure that he hadn't bothered to see if there were other ways to get inside.

"Let me guess: it has a sister…a twin."

Hermione nodded. "At Borgin & Burke's. They form a passage."

Dumbledore nodded knowingly.

"Ingenious, indeed! Hermione, years ago, I knew a boy who made all the wrong choices. Please let me help you."

Hermione shook her head, her wand ready to action if needed.

"I don't want your help! Don't you understand? I _have_ to do this! I have to kill you! I have to do what's right and this is what's right. You said it yourself…We all need to do what needs to be done!"

Before he had a chance to reply, Bellatrix walked inside of the Tower with other Death Eaters trailing right behind her. Bellatrix smiled when she looked at the sight in front of her.

"Well, look what we have here. Dumbledore wandless, alone and cornered in his own castle! Well done, Mione!"

Hermione chose not to answer that but Dumbledore turned to Bellatrix.

"Good evening, Bellatrix. I think introductions are called for."

"Love to, Albus, but I'm afraid we're on a bit of a tight schedule." Then she turned to Hermione. "Do it!"

Hermione hesitated for a few seconds because of that annoying voice inside of her that just wouldn't shut up. One of the Death Eaters behind Bellatrix stepped forward.

"She doesn't have the stomach, like her father. Let me finish him in my own way."

He raised his wand and pointed it at Dumbledore but Bellatrix made him lower it.

"No! The Dark Lord was clear when he gave away the orders…the girl's to do it. And don't you dare to say that she's just like that coward that it is her father…" She snapped before turning to Hermione. "This is your moment. Do it! Go on, Hermione! NOW!"

Hermione raised her wand again and pointed it at Dumbledore but as soon as she opened her mouth to utter the killing curse, Snape stepped in front of her and raised his own wand at him, making her lower hers.

"No." he said with a determinate look on his face.

Dumbledore wasn't smiling anymore because he knew that this was not going to end well for him. He looked at the one that he used to trust.

"Severus... please." He whispered because he didn't need to speak any louder than that to be heard.

Snape looked at Hermione and nodded at her before turning back to Dumbledore and raising his wand.

_Flashback_

_Dumbledore had called him to his office. Snape entered and sat in front of the older man._

"_You wanted to see me?"_

"_I want to ask a great favor of you, Severus, because death is coming for me surely as the Chudley Cannons will finish bottom of this year's league."_

_Snape looked at him in confusion and when he finally understood what he meant, he just nodded and spoke:_

"_Are you intending to let her kill you?"_

"_Certainly not...I need you to kill me!"_

_Snape was so shocked that a few seconds pass before he finally spoke._

"_Would you like me to do it now? Or would you like a few moments to compose an epitaph?"_

"_Severus, this is not time for jokes..."_

_Snape just shook his head. "If you don't mind dying, why not let Hermione do it?"_

"_That girl's soul is not yet damaged beyond repair. I would not have it ripped apart on my account!"_

"_So you've been planning your own death?"_

"_I admit I am vain enough to prefer a quick, easy end, rather than the prolonged, messy affair it is likely to be if, say, Greyback is involved... or dear Bellatrix, who likes to play with her food before she eats it."_

_Snape just nodded and got up before exiting the room without another word._

_End of Flashback_

Snape looked straight at Dumbledore before saying, with his wand still raised:

"Avada Kedavra!"

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**First of all, thank you for the reviews…They mean a lot to me. Please keep them coming.**

**Please be patient because I know that many things are a bit confusing now but I'll explain everything in due time.**

**As most of you probably realized, I used many sentences that were written on the book but I figured that they were good for this.**

**Anyway, Draco and Harry's feeling will be described on the next chapter and Draco will tell the story that you're all dying to hear. He will tell everything about Hermione's life to Ron and Harry.**

**Next chapter will be posted Saturday as long as I have at least 5 reviews on this chapter!**

**Sarah**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 6 (PLEASE REVIEW!)**

As soon as Hermione and the other Death Eaters made their way downstairs to probably celebrate what they had just accomplished, Harry and Draco followed them with fury and anger blinding them. They had been hiding underneath the place where it had all happened because Dumbledore had asked them to do that but neither one of them was prepared to what they had just witnessed. Harry couldn't believe that the girl that he considered his best-friend (his little-sister even) had done that. She had been the one that had tried to kill Dumbledore before and he had blamed Draco for it. Draco, on the other hand, knew that Hermione was a Death Eater so that didn't surprised him…The only thing that he didn't know was that she had tried to kill Dumbledore. He knew that she had to do very bad things but that had just been too much for him to handle.

Both boys followed them until they were out of the school building and when the Death Eaters spotted them they all raised their wands, even Hermione. Draco and Harry raised theirs too but Snape stepped forward and moved to stand in front of Hermione.

"Don't worry boys…our job here is done so we will just leave for now! You can go back to your dorms and cry the death of a man that has never been as good as you all think."

Harry wasn't ready to just give up without a fight but it wasn't Snape who was on the receiving end of his anger. Even though that he had been the one to kill Dumbledore, Hermione's betrayal had hurt a lot more than that.

"How could you do this to him? How could you do this to me?" Harry snapped, his glare directed towards Hermione that in one rough move pushed Snape away, ready to confront Harry. He couldn't even read her expression because he wasn't sure how much he knew about her anymore.

"It was actually really simple, Harry Potter! I've always been your loyal friend, the one that helped you and taught you how to do everything that you wanted to do. I'm the friend that has never received credit for any of your great victories over Voldemort…It was an easy choice, Harry! I'm not the one that you think I am and I couldn't be happier about it. I was dying to finally be able to be myself without caring about what you and dear Ronald think about me. It shouldn't matter to you anyway…I've always been the outcast in our group. You would choose Ronald over me any day and this is my way to help you with that choice. I must say that you've given me very important information that I needed!"

Harry couldn't say anything because he was still trying to get over the shock of finding out that his friend was a totally different person. Draco had many things to say to her but somehow the words wouldn't leave his mouth. It was hard for him to insult the only person besides his mother that he truly loved and the person that had taught him that it was okay to show his feelings. This was the girl that he had known for longer than what he could remember. They had grown up together and there were things that were hard to erase but he knew that he would never forgive her for what she had just done. She hadn't uttered the curse itself but it had felt just as bad for him. It had been like a stab on his own heart. This was not the sweet girl that he had fallen in love with. This was not the girl who would sit for hours looking at the starts just because she felt like it. This was not the girl who still had her favorite doll by her bed every single night. This was not the girl who was still afraid of dark. This was not the girl that he knew and that hurt more than the simple fact of her being a Death Eater. With that, he could handle but she was too different.

Hermione looked at him for a second and he could almost swear that she was trying to tell him something with her eyes but it was too quick for him to realize that she was indeed trying to tell him something important.

The Death Eaters left the school grounds and the two shocked and angry boys made their way to where the now lifeless body of Dumbledore rested. There were student surrounding that area but they all made a pat for him to walk so he could reach the body. Draco followed him but stood on the side while Harry got down on his knees by Dumbledore's side. There were tears on his eyes and try as he might, he couldn't help but let them fall. He had just lost two of the most important people on his life in a matter of minutes. There, in front of almost the entire school and the staff, the Boy-who-lived, cried. Harry cried for the loss of him mentor, someone who had always showed him the best way to do something. Harry cried for the loss of his best-friend that had always been by his side no matter how hard things were. He closed his eyes and begged to whoever was listening to let this be just a bad dream. He wanted to wake up and see Hermione arguing with Ron and Dumbledore with that mysterious look on his face.

Draco felt one tear making its way down his cheek and he didn't even bother to clean it. He had just lost the love of his life so he had reasons to cry. He knew what he had to do from now on. He would help Harry and the Order to take down Voldemort and his followers. He would make every single one of them pay. The thought made his heart clench in a way that almost made him sick. Draco knew that he would have to tell the whole truth to Harry but he wasn't sure what his reaction would be. Besides, no matter how hard he tried to convince himself otherwise, he would never be able to kill Hermione if she stepped in front of him. He wouldn't even hurt her because he would rather die than to cause harm on that woman. He shook his head that was becoming a huge mess. One way or another, he would tell everything to Harry and he would help him. That was for sure!

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**Draco will tell the whole truth on the next chapter…The answer to many of your questions will be answered then.**

**People, please review…Reviews help a lot more than what you think. They make me want to write more…Thanks to the two people who review all my chapters…**

**Sarah**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 7 (AN on the end of the chapter)**

Harry and Ron were anxiously waiting for Draco to begin his speech. They had just assisted to Dumbledore's funeral and they were currently on their bedroom. Harry had no idea of what to expect. Dumbledore's funeral had been a lot harder than what he had initially thought that it would be. He couldn't shake the feeling that his friend and mentor would never be there again and that the person who had killed him had been his friend for many years. Yes, he knew that Hermione hadn't technically killed him but it had felt just as bad. The simple fact that she had tried to kill Dumbledore and that she had hid many things from him was a stab on his fragile and broken heart. Harry's life wasn't easy like many students in the school believed that it was. The ones who were closer to him knew that. His life had been hard ever since he was born. Harry felt like it was just one disappointment after another and he wasn't sure how much he could handle. He had been so happy when he found out that he had a Godfather that he hadn't been able to keep the smile out of his face for weeks. Then, Bellatrix had killed him wiping his last family member that was still alive.

Draco had told them that he would explain everything to them right after the funeral so he was sitting across from them too. The blond sighed and began, with a sad look on his face:

"Hermione is not a muggle-born!"

Harry and Ron looked too shocked to even speak but Draco just ignored them and continued his talk without meeting their eyes.

"Her mother is Bellatrix Lestrange and I'm sure that you know exactly who that is. I don't know who her father is but I know that she does. Anyway, our mothers have always been friends so we were always together when we were younger. One day, Bellatrix was taken to Azkaban and my mother decided that she would take responsibility for Hermione. She was decided to raise her as her own daughter…And that was exactly what she did for almost one year but then my father found out who her father was and took Hermione to be raised by Muggles. She was 8 years old at the time. I don't know who cried the most when he did that…It was either me or my mother. I saw her again when we first came to Hogwarts. I found her on the train and she begged me to treat her just like I would treat a mudblood because as far as everyone was concerned, that was what she was."

Harry finally managed to ask something that was definitely bothering him.

"But on our second year here she was petrified…How is that possible?"

"Voldemort knew that no one could suspect anything so he petrified her, not the creature."

Ron and Harry could barely believe what they were witnessing. Their worst enemy was telling them that the only reason why he had ever been rude to Hermione was because she had asked him to do so. Harry got up from his place on the bed and start to pace around the room. He was angry and sad at the same time. Hermione was definitely not the person that they thought that she was…In fact, she had lied to them about pretty much everything. Then he remembered something and turned back to Draco.

"Were you two dating?"

Draco sighed and Harry could almost swear that he got even sadder than before.

"Yes, we were dating. We started right after that day when she punched me…I'm sure that you know what day I'm talking about."

Ron and Harry did know what he was talking about but they could also tell by the look on his face that they didn't know the whole story. Neither one of them dared to ask, guessing that it was probably too personal to do so and respecting his new friend's grief for the loss of the love of his life. Draco couldn't help but remember one of their first fights.

_Flashback_

_Draco was absolutely pissed off. Hermione had punched him and he was too angry to function. He knew why she had done it but he was still mad at her. He was lucky that Blaise wasn't as stupid as he looked and could actually remember the spell that made his nose come back to normal before anyone noticed. His thoughts were interrupted when the witch that was on the receiving end of his frustration entered the quiet classroom where he was sitting. As soon as he saw her, he looked the other way, afraid of what he might say if he actually looked at her. Hermione wasn't about to give up that easily. She walked to him and sat on the desk next to his in silence. _

_After a couple of seconds she had had enough, just like he knew that she would. The girl couldn't keep her mouth shut for more than a few seconds._

"_Why are you angry at me? You were the one who said that we needed to do something because people were starting to suspect that we weren't that big enemies…I did what you asked me to do!"_

"_Because we wouldn't be forced to do this if you just accepted to tell the truth!" he snapped, knowing that it was the wrong thing to say even before the words had left his mouth._

"_You know that I can't do that. I don't want people to know who my mother is…Everyone would stay as far from me as possible and I want to enjoy my time here. Please, support me on this Draco!"_

_Draco knew that he was weak when it came to her pleas but he was more than okay with it. He leaned in and gave her a sweet kiss on the cheek before getting up to go to his bedroom. He saw her smile and that made it all worth it, even if they couldn't be themselves around other people._

_End of Flashback_

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Hermione sat on her bed and cried. She remembered a sentence that she had once read that said that nobody deserves your tears and that whoever deserves them will not make you cry but it made no sense to her at all. Draco deserved her tears and she was crying for him. She knew that he would never look at her the same way ever again but it was fine by her because she wasn't planning on ever seeing him again. That realization hurt a lot more than what she thought that it would but she knew what she had to do. Dumbledore had asked her for one thing and she would not disappoint him…she would not let his death be in vain.

Then she remembered Harry and Ron and fresh tears made their way down her already wet cheeks again. She would never see them again. She would never be able to give them long lectures because they hadn't done their homework. She would never be able to laugh at Ron's stupidity ever again. She would never be able to give Harry some advices in how to deal with Ginny. This was not how she had wanted her life to turn out. She wanted to be happy and she was almost sure that she deserved that but it seemed like Destiny had other plans for her.

"Mia, we're ready to start! Come down stairs immediately…"her mother's voice warned her.

Hermione took a deep-breath and made her way to the place where she would see things that would guarantee nightmares for many nights to come. She sighed and forced a smile before entering the room where her equals waited for her to join them. Yes, her life hadn't exactly turned out the way that she had wanted it to but now she would just have to live with it.

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**So, the story of Hermione's life is almost entirely mystery-free. Some surprising revelations in future chapters (not sure if on the next one but really soon though). Anyway, please let me know what you think about it because reviews make me smile like a crazy person on drugs.**

**Sarah**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 8 **

Draco, Harry and Ron were getting ready to leave the school, aware that they wouldn't be coming back next year. Draco had just joined the Order after giving enough proofs that he was on their side and willing to help them with whatever they needed to take down the Dark Lord.

Harry and Ron had explained him their idea of finding the Hocruxes so they could destroy them and finally kill Voldemort and he had immediately agreed to go with them too. They were very curious about a lot of things when it came to Hermione. They wanted to know just how powerful she really was and what she could do. They all knew that she was a great witch but now it felt like that term wasn't good enough to describe her anymore. Draco knew a lot about that and didn't mind sharing all those things with them, fully aware that sooner or later they would have to fight against the girl that they all loved.

"Hermione is an absolute master with Legimancy so you need to be extra-careful with your thoughts around her. I've seen her perform wandless magic too but only really simple summoning charms. I don't know if she can do anything other than that but it's still very risky. She's also a very good healer but I don't think that that matters right now!"

"It's always good to know as much as we can about her. At least we know that she will be able to cure our enemies after we take them down…That's a warming thought indeed. We hurt them and she cures them…"

Everyone in the room could hear the frustration and the anger in Harry's voice when he uttered those words. He was well aware that the war was coming and that thought alone made him want to throw up. He didn't want to fight and he didn't want to hurt Hermione either. She might be a Death Eater but he still couldn't wrap his mind around the idea of letting her get hurt and he could tell that Draco and Ron weren't big fans of that either. He was sure that if something were to happen to her, he couldn't just look away and pretend that it was happening to a complete stranger. She was still Hermione, despite the mark on her left forearm and despite all the lies. She was still his Hermione, his best friend, his little sister…

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Hermione walked in the basement and spotted the person that she was looking for right away. Sirius was sitting in a corner like always. His hands and feet were tied to prevent him from making an attempt to escape. Hermione walked to him and slide to the floor to sit with her back against the wall and next to the man that had trusted her more than once already and that she didn't want to let down.

_(Italics are thoughts)_

_Is it done yet?_

_Yes…Snape did it._

_Are you okay?_ Hermione could hear the concern in his voice but she eased his worries right away.

_He didn't mind if that's what you want to know. The only thing that he cared about was that the job was done and Dumbledore was finally dead._

_And your mother didn't mind either?_ This time his tone was one of surprise instead of one of concern. Hermione figured that it was probably because he knew that she could face her mother under any circumstances.

_I think that she did but she didn't mention anything about that particular subject._

_Are you okay?_

This time, Hermione understood that he didn't mean just physically. Physically she was just fine but mentally was a whole new different story. Things were far from okay and she had many things that she needed to do before the big day that was approaching fast. Sirius had no idea of what her plan was because she always managed to hide it from him. Hermione knew that if he found out what her plan really was e would do anything to stop her from going ahead with it. She felt like as if her mind was too confused and too filled with thoughts to even function properly. She was breaking apart and this time there was no one there to hold her and tell her that everything was going to be okay, no matter what.

They were in silence now. Sirius was probably aware that she needed to think about everything that was happening so he didn't want to disturb her.

Hermione missed Draco more than what she was prepared to and she was prepared to miss him a lot. She missed talking to him, she missed feeling his strong arms wrapped around her to offer her some comfort and to protect her, she missed seeing that special smile that he saved for her eyes only. The simple thought that her last memory of him (and probably the last time that she would ever see him) was one in which he was absolutely disgusted with her brought tears to her eyes. Hermione was indeed almost sure that she would never see him again and she was trying hard to make peace with that thought. It was harder than anything else.

Sirius must have sensed her mood because he scooted closer to her and allowed her to rest her head on his shoulder while she cried. He tried hard to offer her a part of that comfort that she so desperately needed.

"Don't worry, my dear! He'll eventually understand and he'll forgive you then!"

Hermione knew that he would eventually understand she just wasn't sure that she would be alive to witness that day. The day was coming and with that her days were counted. She just wished that she could say that she had no regrets but she had so many things left unsaid that she couldn't go in peace. She decided to write a letter to the boys that she considered her brothers and to the man that she loved with all her heart. She could only hope that they would receive and read those letters because they were her last chance of redemption.

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**SO? What do you think about this chapter? Any ideas of what is Hermione up to and what will happen on the big day? Please review and share your opinions with me.**

**A very special thank you to ItsOnMars and itoldyouso2718 for reviewing all my chapters so far. Please keep going…**

**Sarah**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 9**

Harry wasn't happy about this plan. In fact, he hated the plan altogether. He knew that this would be dangerous for him but the idea of risking more lives than necessary wasn't a really good one. He looked around the room and saw that the members of the Order were there to help him and he knew that this was for real.

They were all there to take him to the Burrow in safety and they were all anticipating a big fight. Moody had explained them that the Death Eaters would probably already know that they would move him today so they needed to be ready to fight and fight hard. He had told them that the time to use light spells was long gone and they would need to actually hurt their enemies in case of a fight. Harry knew that the truth was that the Death Eaters would try to kill as many of them as they could but he still didn't know if he was capable of actually hurting someone knowing that that person could be Hermione.

Draco seemed to have the same thoughts because he seemed rather uneasy with this task but he still accepted to do it, showing his loyalty to the Order once again.

One thing was for sure, this was going to be a night that they would never forget.

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The day had finally arrived. Hermione looked around the big room and saw that all the Death Eaters were there, even the ones that were always away following the Dark Lord's orders. They were all dressed in black as usual but they were also wearing a golden mask today to hide their identities. The Dark Lord didn't want anyone to know who they were because that would make them easy targets and that would destroy his army.

Hermione knew that this was the day in which her life could probably come to an end but at least she would have her conscious clean, knowing that she had kept her promise.

The Dark Lord was busy distributing orders but Hermione could only stand there and vaguely listen to him while her mind was far far away from there.

"One last thing, don't forget that the boy belongs to me. No one is allowed to kill him. Alright, now that you all know what you'll have to do, get ready. We will leave in 10 minutes."

As soon as those words left his mouth, everyone started to move around and Hermione took advantage of that to make her way downstairs. She opened the door of the basement and went inside without making any kind of noise. She lifted her wand and waved it around to make every prisoner there unconscious, except Sirius Black. The man got up as soon as he realized that something was going on and got ready to defend himself if the situation asked for it, even though he couldn't do much with his hands and feet tied. He relaxed as soon as he saw that it was just Hermione. She walked to him and gave him a black cloak and a golden mask while she untied his hands and feet.

She ordered him to put them on and Sirius did as requested, not sure of what was happening but still trusting her just like he had done many times before. The witch had never let him down and he doubted that she ever would.

"Our sources tell us that Harry will be moved to the Burrow today. This is our best chance to get to him so we're going after the Order tonight."

"And why am I wearing these ridiculous clothes that make me look like and Halloween costume?"

"Because I'm getting you out of here tonight. Just stay close to me and don't draw attention. Everything will be just fine!"

Hermione turned around to make her way to the door when Sirius grabbed her arm to stop her and made her turn back around to look at him.

"There's no way in hell that that will happen…they will find out that you've helped me and they will kill you as soon as they do!"

Hermione was hoping that he wouldn't even go there but apparently she would have no such luck. She sighed before answering, knowing that the words that were about to leave her mouth would do nothing to calm him down. In fact, she was pretty sure that they would have the opposite effect.

"I know that but Harry needs you there with him more than he need me…Sirius, this is the only reason why I became a Death Eater in the first place."

Sirius seemed to be confused by her words and Hermione saw that. She had told him that she had become a Death Eater to help the Order but she hadn't given him any details about that particular subject. Hermione figured that it was definitely time to come clean about it.

"A few years ago, Dumbledore came to me and asked for my help. At first, I had no idea of what he wanted me to do but he explained me that he needed my help to be a step ahead of Voldemort in every occasion. I agreed to help him. A few months ago, he asked me to become a Death Eater to help the Order and to get you out of here so you could help Harry to destroy him."

Sirius was shocked with this revelation. The respect that he had for Dumbledore vanished immediately and was replaced by pure hate and anger. He had basically asked a young girl to ruin her entire life just so he could destroy the Dark Lord. Sirius was honestly glad that he was dead because he was sure that he would have probably killed him himself otherwise.

"Hermione, forget about that. You can't risk your life like this. Please, forget about this stupid and suicidal plan and just go and do what your master ordered you to do!"

Hermione shook her head with tears running down her face.

"I can't do that, Dad. Please, just come with me and help Harry. I'll try to stalk him for as long as I can and you can help Harry with the Hocruxes. Please, do this for me!"

Sirius couldn't even bring himself to show happiness because she had just called him Dad for the first time. He had tears running down his own face and shook his head again.

"You're asking me to be responsible for the death of my daughter and I could never live with myself if that were to happen, Mia. My answer is no!"

"Maybe they won't kill me! You have to hope, right? Please come with me right now!"

Sirius shook his head once again but Hermione refused to take no for an answer.

"I didn't want to use this but you leave me with no other choice. If you don't come with me right now, I'll go into that room and I'll start attacking every Death Eater that steps in front of me until one of them finally kills me."

Sirius saw the seriousness in her eyes so he reluctantly followed her, not fully believing that he was about to do that.

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**I know that Sirius and Bellatrix are cousins but they're not in my story. I know that this is very different from the main Harry Potter story but it would be no fun to write something that was just the same as the books, right?**

**Anyway, please review and I'll update as soon as I can. The big fight will take place on the next chapter with some more surprises. Don't miss it…**

**BTW, what do you think about Sirius being Hermione's father? Please let me know…**

**Sarah**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 10**

The night sky was even darker than usually, a clear prediction that the Dark Forces were out that night and that everyone should be careful with their movements and thoughts. Harry Potter looked to the sky and released a long and unhappy sigh. There was no way to know how the night would end up and that thought alone was enough to scare him. Not knowing was one of the worst things in times like these. He wished that he knew. Things would be so much easier that way.

Moody patted his shoulder, signaling him that it was time to go. Harry looked around and saw that there were more people that looked just like him in the living room. He hated that plan even more every single minute that went by. Draco was one of the youngest ones that hadn't taken the potion to make him look like Harry because they had all thought that it would be better this way. The general opinion was that the Death Eaters would never suspect that Harry would go with his enemy, Draco Malfoy therefore they wouldn't even follow him. He was going with Ginny who looked like him too and Harry was going with Hagrid.

Harry feared for the safety of every single person that was standing in that living room. He knew how dangerous this could be and he didn't want to risk so many lives. He knew all those people. They were all his friends and he didn't even want to think about losing one of them. Even Draco had become a very good friend over the past few days. Harry knew that that was probably because they shared a few feelings about the all Hermione situation but it was still good to talk to him, one way or another. It was good to have someone that didn't care if he was the Boy-who lived or not…It was good to have someone that wasn't afraid to punch him if he crossed the line with anything. That used to be Hermione's job but now Draco was taking good care of it. Harry had to admit that Draco and Hermione were very much alike.

It was weird that he had never noticed it before but that was probably because he had never been this close to Draco therefore he had no idea what kind of guy he was.

After giving the night sky one last look through the window, Harry turned around, ready to do whatever it took to make sure that they would all get to the Burrow alive and with all their body members intact.

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Hermione was just looking around. She was on her broom waiting for something to happen. The mask was on her face, the cloak was on her back and her eyes were trained on the one that used to be Harry's street. She had been there a couple of times but never with the intention that she had tonight. She was well aware of their orders. The Dark Lord had given very specific instructions. They weren't firing to kill. He wanted as many people as he could get to torture. He wanted to inflict pain on every single member of the Order that was trying to get to him for so many years now.

Sirius Black was just behind her pretending to do the same thing as the others. In fact, he was doing the exact same thing as the others. His eyes were also trained to watch the house but he was praying that Harry wouldn't come out of it. He knew the consequences of that action and he wasn't looking forward to witness something like that. There were Death Eaters everywhere and he wasn't sure if Harry and the Order would win if there was a fight.

His thoughts were interrupted when the door of the house opened and 12 Harry Potters got out of it, each one of them accompanied by another person. They all climbed on their brooms and started to fly around the night sky. The Death Eaters all went after them, all in separate because they were just too many, trying to figure out which one was the real Harry. Hermione signaled for Sirius to follow her and went after Draco and his Harry Potter. Sirius sent her a thought that he was sure that she was going to read:

_Is this the real Harry?_

The answer came immediately after:

_No. This is Ginny…I can hear her thoughts._

_Does Draco know who we are?_

_No._

And her tone made him know that this was the end of this conversation. They followed them for a few seconds before Draco decided that it was time to fight. Draco signaled Ginny to speed up and he stood behind to distract them for a bit. Sirius knew that he didn't need to do that because Hermione wouldn't harm them but Draco didn't know that. The boy turned to them with an angry expression on hi s face and raised his wand, using that amazing control that he had over his broom after years of training.

"Show me your faces, right now!" he yelled and even though Hermione seemed to be completely clueless, Sirius could tell that the only reason why he was asking them that was because he didn't want to hurt anyone that could be Hermione.

Hermione raised her wand and Sirius could tell that she was going to use a harmless spell that wouldn't even hit Draco but before the words could leave her mouth, another Harry came followed by another Death Eater that Hermione recognized as her mother and stopped following the boy as soon as she saw them there. Hermione was well aware that this was not going to end well. Bellatrix raised her wand and aimed it in Draco's direction.

Sirius looked at Hermione, expecting her to do something but she just stood there without moving.

"Look who we have here…Draco, also known as the big traitor. How do you feel knowing that you're on the side of the ones who will lose this war? It's not too late to make the change, my dear boy…"

Draco's voice was nothing more than a disgusted yell when he spoke.

"I'd rather die than join a group of killers!"

Bellatrix laughed before raising her wand back to him.

"You just might get your wish, boy. Hermione says hi!"

As soon as those words left her mouth, Hermione removed her golden mask and flied to stand in between Draco and Bellatrix. Bellatrix smiled at her, thinking that she was there to finish off Draco herself but her doubts were cleared when Hermione raised her wand and pointed it at her.

Bellatrix frowned and raised her own wand. Draco could only stare at the scene unfolding in front of him, much like Sirius. Before Sirius could react, Hagrid showed up and pulled him to the small side car ignoring his protests. The last thing that he saw was a red flash coming out of Bellatrix's wand in Hermione's direction and a bright blue one coming out of Hermione's wand in Bellatrix's direction.

**X**

**X**

Hagrid, Harry and Sirius landed in the Burrow's yard and were immediately surrounded by everyone else that was already there. Ginny hugged Harry with tears on her eyes and Molly started to speak, ignoring the look on Sirius face.

"What took you so long?"

Hagrid answered her:

"We had to jump in and rescue Sirius so we missed our portkey therefore we had to get another one."

"And where's Draco?"

Ginny let go of Harry and Hagrid was about to answer when Sirius jumped in the conversation, tired of being ignored:

"He's with Hermione!"

Harry couldn't even bring himself to be happy about Sirius being alive and there with them. He looked at everyone before saying:

"Is everyone else okay?"

Molly looked a bit sad but answered him anyway, to ease his worries:

"Fred lost an ear but other than that, everything's okay."

Harry nodded and went inside, trying hard not to think about Hermione and Draco and what had happened to them. Inside, he finally hugged his godfather that he had thought dead for months. Maybe, things would get better from now on. He had to hold on to that hope.

**X**

**X**

A few minutes later, Harry and Sirius were sitting outside with a mug of hot chocolate each. The night wasn't too cold but the chocolate was good to improve the mood around the house so Molly had insisted that everyone had to drink one. They were talking about Harry's life over the past few months while avoiding the topic of Sirius's life over the past few months. Suddenly, they looked up and saw something that looked like a broom making its way to the floor at a frightening speed. Harry and Sirius instantly got up with their wands trained in the direction of said broom. The broom and the people on top of it fell and one of them rolled over as soon as that happened while the other seemed to make no movement at all. Harry looked at Sirius with fear on his face:

"Do you think that it's safe to get closer?"

"The shield only allows member of the Order to come in so it should be fine. Let's go…It might be Draco!"

By then, everyone was jut beside them. Both men led the way there and started to run as soon as they saw the boy's blond hair meaning that it was Draco indeed. They couldn't see who was lying motionless besides him but all their attentions were focused on the boy that they all thought that was dead, even though no one had dared to mention a word about that.

He had a few cuts and bruises but what worried them was the big blood spot on the front of his shirt. That couldn't be good.

**X**

**X**

**Longest chapter yet…What do you think about it? Please let me know because I'm really unsure about this one.**

**I'm with a horrible cold and all I want right now is to go to sleep but your reviews will make me happy. **

**Anyway, I'll try to update Sunday or Monday.**

**Sarah**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 11**

Molly ran to him and tried to see what kind of wound he had on his chest that made him bleed so much. She tried to take off his shirt but he wouldn't allow it so Harry and Sirius tried to hold him down so Molly could take a good look at it. That seemed to anger him even more because before anyone could react, Draco punched Harry straight in the nose and yelled:

"It's not my blood…Please jut help her! Please…"

Draco had tears on his face and everyone turned to the motionless body that was lying just besides him. George was the only one that managed to gather enough courage to turn the person around so they could look and see who was hurt. Hermione was in bad shape. There was a big cut on her stomach that was probably the cause to all that blood on Draco's shirt and her arms were covered in smaller scratches that didn't look half as bad as that big nasty cut that just kept bleeding. Molly didn't know what to do. She knew how to cure her but she didn't know if she should, after all, she was a Death Eater and that huge mark on her arm was a vivid proof of that. Sirius didn't seem to have nearly as many doubts as she had. He pushed everyone away and carried Hermione inside. Harry helped Draco up and followed them inside as did George and Fred. Ron didn't agree with that so he just stood outside. He couldn't believe that they were actually taking care of a Death Eater.

Once inside, Sirius began to do everything that he could remember to help her. He would never forgive himself if something happened to her. He was doing everything on his own. Molly still didn't know if she should help someone that worked for the Dark Lord and many people there seemed to agree with her. Harry didn't know what to think and Draco was too weak to do anything other than just stare at everything that was going on.

Suddenly, Fred and George pushed everyone away and began to help Sirius with whatever he needed. The girl that was bleeding to death on their couch was like a little sister to all of them and they didn't want to carry her death in their conscience forever. They didn't want her to be the first one to die on this war. They didn't want her to die and they were both sure that Harry didn't want that either, even though he was doing nothing to help.

It took them more than half an hour to stabilize her but she seemed to be recovering, even though it was a very slow recovery.

Ron finally walked inside but made his way to his bedroom without even glancing in Hermione's direction and Ginny did the same.

Harry took Draco to one of the bedrooms and tried to make the boy talk because he hadn't said a word after he had screamed that it was not his blood.

He made him sit down on one of the beds and sat on a chair near said bed.

"What happened to her? Sirius said that he had seen you and Hermione with Bellatrix before we rescued him…"

Draco looked at Harry with a look of pure sadness on his eyes.

"She fought against her mother. She managed to knock Bellatrix off her broom but Greyback showed up just when we were flying away from that place and managed to hit her. I grabbed her just as she was about to fall on the floor and I tried to stop the bleeding but I couldn't. I was afraid that it would be too late when we got here…"

As soon as those words left his mouth, George walked in the room and sat next to Draco.

"Did she actually kill her mother?"

Draco shook his head. "No, I think that another Death Eater helped her before she hit the ground. How is she?"

George sighed. "Sirius said that we shouldn't get our hopes high. It was a big cut and she lost a lot of blood. Her temperature is very high and we can't bring it down no matter what we do. We just have to wait and see what happens…"

Harry closed his eyes to stop the tears that were threatening to fall. He couldn't lose her. He couldn't lose his little sister. He couldn't lose the girl that was like family to him. He couldn't let her die thinking that he hated her. He just couldn't live with that thought. When he opened his eyes, he saw that Draco had his closed but there were still tears on his face.

He couldn't believe that he could actually lose her. Draco felt sick just thinking about that. He loved her and she was lying on a couch fighting for her life because she had tried to save him. He would never be able to move on if something were to happen to her.

Sirius walked in the room with a look of sadness that matched the boy's own looks. He put his hand on his pocket and took two pieces of paper out of it. One had Harry's name written on it and the other on had Draco's name. He handed them to both boys and left the room, followed by George.

Harry opened his letter and immediately realized that it was a letter from Hermione. He could tell that it was her handwriting.

_Dear Harry,  
I hope that you receive this letter and I hope that you actually take your time to read it because there are a few things that you need to know. If Sirius was the one to give you this letter, then that means that I'm probably dead by now. I don't know if that affects you but I'm almost sure that it doesn't because I'm nothing but a traitor. I'm not going to say that that is a lie. The only reason why I'm writing this is because I'm almost sure that I'll die tonight and I need to go with my conscience clean.  
I need you to know that I never shared any of our talks or plans with Voldemort. No matter how bad you think I am, I would never do that to you.  
Sirius will help you to find all the Hocruxes and will help you to destroy the one that brought so much fear to our World. Harry, believe me when I say that on the day that you destroy him (and I'm sure that you will) I'll be right there next to you jumping in pure joy even if I'm nothing but a ghost by then.  
As I said before, I have no idea if you'll ever read this letter but if you ever decide to do it, I want you to know that my loyalty has always belonged to you and the Order.  
I'm sure that Sirius will eventually tell you why I've done this but give him some time because I'm sure that he won't be able to talk about it anywhere near the time of my death.  
Please know that you've been like a brother to me ever since you and Ron saved me from that troll on our first year.  
Best wishes,  
Hermione_

Harry couldn't stop his tears by the time that he was done. It was a goodbye letter. She knew that her chances of making it to the Burrow alive were next to none but she had still risked her own life to save Sirius. She was still his little sister.

Draco opened his letter and immediately recognized Hermione's handwriting.

_Dear Draco,  
I know that you hate me right now and I can't honestly blame you for it. I've written this letter over twenty times and it still doesn't feel right to me because there are so many things that I want to share with you. I shouldn't even try because I'm not sure if you'll ever read this but the thought that one day you might read this and forgive me gives me the peace of mind that I need.  
I'll probably be dead by the time that you read this but I can still say goodbye, right?  
There are so many things that I want to tell you that I don't even know where to start. I guess that I should probably start with my walls. I know that it sound extremely silly but I finally managed to make my mom paint them back as they were before. Well, technically, I painted them but she is still okay with it. I have that picture of us that we took last Christmas on top of my nightstand so you're the last thing that I see before I fall asleep. I know that it sound really silly but it helps to know that I get to see you every single night before I fall asleep, fully aware that I'll probably never see you again.  
Well, enough the depressing stuff. I have a something to ask you to do. Please help Harry to destroy the one that ruined our lives during so many years. I will not ask you to revenge my death because it sounds like a cliché to me and because I brought it on my own.  
I feel like this letter is getting too long and even thought I still have many things left to say, I need to cut this short.  
I know that I don't have the right to ask you to promise me this but I'd like to think that you would. I want you to be happy, Draco. Do whatever you need to do during this war but don't regret anything. If you need to kill someone in order to save a friend, do it and don't regret it. Live your life and live it even better as soon as the ward ends. There is not a doubt in my mind that Harry will destroy the Dark Lord and when he does, everyone will finally get to be happy. I want you to meet someone, get married and have little girls and boys with your blond hair as you've always wanted to. I'm sure that your mother will be thrilled with that thought.  
Please believe me when I say that I've always loved you and that I never intended to make you hate me like this but faith had different plans for you and me.  
Be happy. Love,  
Hermione Granger (never got to be a Malfoy as you wanted, my love)_

Draco couldn't stop the tears from falling. He put the paper in his pocket and ran downstairs. He wouldn't let her go thinking that he hated her. He wouldn't let her go thinking that he would even consider the thought of being with someone else. He wouldn't let her go thinking that he would want to have little girls and boys with blond hair with anyone else but her. He wouldn't let her go.

Draco Malfoy got down on his knees next to the couch and grabbed Hermione's hand with more strength that it would have been comfortable for her if she were awake. He wouldn't let her go. He would stand by her side until she woke up. He would make sure that she would get to be Hermione Malfoy one day.

Harry dame downstairs too and sat on the floor next to Draco. He knew how he was feeling. There was a hole in his heart that it seemed like it would never close again. He needed to see Hermione with her eyes wide open and with that beautiful smile on her face to heal it. He needed his little sister as much as Draco needed the woman that he loved.

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**I'm depressed with this chapter but I think that it had to be like this.**

**A special thanks to ItsOnMars for correcting me. I hadn't realized that I had made that mistake but it was George who lost his ear, not Fred. Thank you!**

**Anyway, please let me know what you think about it and I'll update as soon as possible.**

**Sarah**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 12**

Draco and Harry had barely closed their eyes during the entire night. In fact, they had barely moved during the entire night. Draco just remained kneeled next to the couch where Hermione's motionless body lay and Harry sat right next to him. Sirius sat on a chair by the kitchen table but still managed to keep an eye on his daughter that insisted on remaining with her eyes closed.

He knew how bad that wound was and how hard it had been to manage to close it therefore he knew that the chances of seeing her awake ever again were close to none. She had told him that he had to hope for the best at all times but sometimes things weren't that simple. His only daughter, a daughter that he had spent more than 10 years without seeing, was fighting for her life on a living room couch and there was nothing else that he could do to help her.

Draco wouldn't let go of her hand, no matter what. He had spent the entire night just looking at her and making sure that she was still breathing and he knew that Harry had done exactly the same, even though he had said nothing about it.

As soon as the sun came up, everyone came downstairs to have breakfast and not many people seemed to mind about the sight on the living room and that angered Harry beyond believe. His best friend was dying and no one seemed to care enough to at least see how she was doing. The boy got up in a flash and with pure fury blinding his senses. Draco followed him with his eyes, not allowing Hermione's hand to drop from his. Harry began with his speech as soon as everyone started to look at him.

"I don't care, okay?" he yelled, not caring if anyone thought that he was crazy. "I don't care about that mark on her arm. She's still Hermione, okay? She's still my best friend and I'm sure that she'll explain me everything as soon as she wakes up…"

"If she wakes up!" Ron said with anger coating his voice too but his was directed towards Harry for defending Hermione like that after she had betrayed them all.

"When she wakes up, Ronal because my Hermione is not a quitter and I know that it's just a matter of time until she finally opens her eyes. So I would like to at least see a bit more respect from all of you because that girl that is there fighting to come back to us has been there through my darkest times and she has never given me any reasons not to trust her. I will stand by her side no matter what and I will stay right there next to her until she wakes up. So yes, I don't care about what you think and I don't care about anything else right now other than my little sister." Harry finished his speech breathing hard and with the anger still inside of him but somewhat relieved that he had finally said what had been on his mind for the past couple of hours.

He turned back around, ignoring all the surprised, shocked and proud looks from his audience and went back to sit next to the boy that had became his friend and to the girl that had helped him so many times before, always standing by his side no matter how stupid and reckless his decisions were. He would be there for her until she finally quit being stubborn and woke up.

**X**

**X**

The sun was just beginning to set when Sirius ordered Harry and Draco to carry Hermione to one of the spare bedrooms upstairs to make her more comfortable and to keep her away from those who did not want her to recover. Draco gently cradled her in his arms and slowly took her upstairs afraid that the wrong move would make everything even worse. It was a relief for both him and Harry when he finally set her on the bed and Sirius confirmed that everything was just as it had been before.

This time, Harry decided that it would better if he stayed on the couch that was near the bed instead of sitting on the floor and Draco laid down on the bed right next to Hermione, still holding her hand and keeping an eye on her face to make sure that her eyes were closed and that she was still breathing.

Before they knew it, both boys were fast asleep, the emotions of the past days and the tiredness after the entire thing finally catching up to them. It was just too much for anyone to deal with and they weren't that strong.

**X**

**X**

Hermione opened her eyes and looked around. Her surrounding weren't familiar to her and that wasn't normal because there weren't many places where she might be. If she had been caught by the Death Eaters she would be in the dungeons of the Malfoy Manor and if she had been caught by the Order she would have been on the Burrow. The weird thing was that she was very familiar with those two places and she could tell that she wasn't in either one of them.

She got up and tentatively started to walk to see if she had anything broken but there wasn't a single ache on her body. That was definitely weird because she could remember being hit by a spell that made a cut on her stomach. Hermione looked around to see if there was anyone in sight but after seeing that she was completely alone, she lifted her shirt and saw that the huge cut was there indeed but it was just a faint scar by now. How long had she been asleep for?

She took in her surroundings once again to try to piece everything together but she couldn't remember this place. The walls were painted in white but the curtains covering the big window were light blue. There was a big wardrobe on her left and some makeup on top of a dressing table making it quite clear that a woman lived there.

Hermione looked to the other side of the room and saw a small crib with a teddy bear inside of it. She walked closer to it and saw that there wasn't a baby in there but there was a blue blanket resting on top of a small pillow.

Hermione exited the room and heard two voices that weren't familiar to her and she hesitated for a few minutes before deciding to go in the direction of said voices. She stopped as soon as she could hear what they were saying. There was a woman and a man and their voices seemed to be worried ones.

"What do we do if she doesn't wake up? He can't lose her…" The woman was almost crying and Hermione could tell that just by hearing her voice.

"Don't worry, honey! You know how strong she is…She'll wake up and we'll have the chance to talk to her before she goes!" The man tried to comfort the obviously stressed woman.

Hermione decided to use that Gryffindor courage that she had and walked into the living room where there were indeed two people but Hermione almost fainted in shock when she saw who those two people were. James Potter was the first one to acknowledge her presence. He nudged his wife's shoulder and Lily Potter looked relieved to see her awake and walking. They both got up from the couch and walked to Hermione who was still too shocked to say anything. They seemed to understand that and gave her some time to collect her thoughts. Hermione finally managed to speak:

"Am I dead?" that was the question that had been burning in her mind since the moment that she had opened her eyes.

Lily smiled at her and stepped forward, stroking her bruised arm with a gentle caress.

"That's for you to decide, my dear and brave girl!"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Hermione questioned with a frown on her face.

"It means that we are offering you a choice." James was the one who answered this time with a small smile on his face but Lily cut him off right after that sentence.

"You've already done so much to help so many people that you have the right to choose. There's a war coming up and things will only get harder from now on. You will suffer as will everyone else around you during the next few months. We are offering you a chance to avoid all that. We are offering you a chance to stay right here with us without suffering and without pain. It's up to you now, my dear!" She finished with a smile on her beautiful face. Hermione could see that her green eyes had unshed tears in them that were about to fall but she was making an effort to hold them in, probably for Hermione's own good.

A life without pain and suffering seemed pretty good to her.

**X**

**X**

Harry woke up with the sunlight streaming through the bedroom window and rubbed the sleep from his eyes before getting up in a flash and going to see how Hermione was doing because he hadn't kept an eye on her during the night. The sight before him shocked him and sent him on a run to find Sirius as soon as possible. Something had changed during the night.

**X**

**X**

**X**

**I know that I'm mean but I couldn't resist…You'll find out what happens on the next chapter.**

**Please let me know what you think about this chapter and I'll give you the next one as soon as possible.**

**Sarah**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 13**

Draco woke up from his deep slumber with Harry screaming Sirius name. At first, the boy just blinked to try to get used to the light in his eyes that was coming through the window but when he attempted to stretch his arms and legs he found that there was something holding him in place. Draco opened his eyes quickly and almost fainted because of the shock. Hermione had her head on his chest and her arm was resting over his stomach. One of her legs was wrapped around one of his and she looked calm and even a bit relaxed. Draco didn't move, afraid that any movement would disturb her.

After just a few seconds, Harry ran inside the room followed closely by Sirius, Fred and George who looked as surprised as he was to see Hermione like that. Sirius was the first one to step forward. He gently grabbed one of Hermione's wrists and smiled before turning to the boys standing in the doorway and to Draco. He couldn't wipe the smile out of his face and he whispered, to avoid disturbing Hermione.

"Her heartbeat is normal now and her temperature, as I'm sure that Draco will be able to confirm, is not high anymore. She's going to be fine."

The boys all sighed in relief after hearing those words. They weren't going to lose her after all. Their little sister was going to be just fine and they would be able to make things right again. There were so many questions that they wanted to do to her but Sirius ordered them to leave the room so she could rest. Draco was the only one allowed to stay with her and he was glad with that. He looked to the sleeping woman cuddled to him and smiled. The idea of never seeing Hermione like this again had crossed his mind many times over the past hours and he couldn't honestly say that it didn't scare him as nothing had ever did before. He couldn't wait to see her awake.

X

X

Hermione opened her eyes and was immediately greeted by the sun light that wouldn't let her keep them open for too long. She tried to get used to the light and when she finally did, she opened her eyes and looked around. The first thing that she noticed was that the place where her head was resting was not a pillow…It was Draco's chest. She didn't even need to look up to know that. She would know those muscles anywhere. She felt his arms around her and his legs holding hers in place in between his. This was how they used to sleep when they spent the night together and Hermione felt comfortable in that spot.

She also noticed that she was in one of the bedrooms in the Burrow and she didn't like that idea. She knew that this meant trouble for her and that wasn't a part of her plan. Being alive wasn't a part of her plan either.

Hermione knew that as soon as the Death Eaters realized that she was helping Sirius, they would kill her right away and that was a part of her carefully elaborated plan. She had never thought that Draco would be there too and that she would need to save him from her horrid mother that was planning on killing him with no reasons at all. Well, that was a lie. Bellatrix did have a reason to kill him but, in Hermione's opinion, just because wasn't a good enough reason to do anything. She knew that her mother disagreed with that and she had to jump in front of Draco to avoid the worst. Then, she thought that her mother would kill her but once again she had used a little too much strength and had knocked her off her broom. Right after that, she had tried to take Draco to safety but she had felt a spell hitting her and he just had to save her.

This was definitely not part of her plan. Being in the same house of the people who hated her was not a part of her plan but she figured that it was probably too late to do anything about that.

She tried to get up but a hand instantly pushed her back down and the owner of said hand yelled:

"Harry, she's awake!"

Before she had time to react, Draco got up and opened the door of the bedroom, yelling the same thing again. Hermione slowly sat on the bed because there was still some pain coming from her stomach but she didn't have time to do as much as breathe because Draco turned back around and kissed her straight on the lips. Hermione kissed him back because as hard as she had tried to convince herself that it was okay for him to hate her, she had always hoped that he wouldn't. Their moment was rudely interrupted by Harry, Sirius, Fred and George that stormed in the room and made them split so they could see that she was okay and so they could welcome her back to the family.

Fred and George hugged her at the same time and told her that they were truly happy that she was still breathing.

Sirius just offered her a small smiled and said:

"You really thought that I would let you go that easily?"

Harry was the last one to step forward. He wasn't smiling and for a moment Hermione thought that he wasn't happy to see her awake but her doubts were quickly erased when he almost ran to her and evolved her in a bone crushing hug that left her breathless but she couldn't care less about that. She felt Harry's smile on her cheek when he whispered in her hear, only loud enough for her to hear:

"It's good to have you back, little sister, don't you ever scare us like that!"

Hermione just smiled at him and then turned back to Draco who was standing in a corner, waiting for everyone to welcome her back. The other boys got the message and left them alone with the promise of stopping by to talk to her later on. Draco sat next to her on the bed and sighed before starting the conversation.

"You scared me, Hermione!" she didn't know if she should feel ashamed or guilty because of that statement so she settled for a neutral answer.

"I'm sorry…I didn't mean to!"Draco laughed a bit as soon as those words left her mouth.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, love. Sirius told us that the only reason why you had joined the Dark Lord's army was to save him. Why didn't you tell me that?"

"Because I knew that you would try to stop me and I couldn't afford that. I had to do this and I was sure that you wouldn't allow me to, at least not without your help. I rescued Sirius so he could help Harry to destroy Voldemort but that doesn't mean that I should be here right now…"

As soon as those words left her mouth, Draco frowned and got up. He started to pace around the room and only stopped after a few seconds. Then, he turned to Hermione with an angry expression on his face and yelled at her, making her realize that she had truly annoyed him with that sentence.

"So that was your brilliant plan, then? Your plan was being dead by now? How stupid can you be? You're the brightest witch our age, for Merlin's sake, and you honestly thought that we would all get over your death just like as if nothing had happened? You really thought that we would be able to face your death like the death of just another Death Eater? You are a complete idiot, Hermione!"

Hermione was sure that she had never seen him that angry before. She could almost swear that she could see smoke coming out of his ears…She tried to speak but he wouldn't let her. He just continued with the yelling, looking at her with a furious look.

"And even worse than that, you thought that I would be able to love someone else. How can you even think about that? You're the love of my life, you stupid witch. You're the one for me and I would never be able to love anyone else but you. I don't want to have little blond haired kids with anyone else but you. How hard is it for you to understand that? Put her in front of the most difficult spell and she can perform it but when it comes to people…"

Hermione was actually smiling by now. Even though he had screamed those words at her, she knew the meaning beyond them. He was angry with her because she had thought that he would move on after her death and mainly because she had almost planned her death. Hermione got up from her place on the bed and walked to the still pacing Draco that stopped as soon as he saw her in front of him, smiling. That smile seemed to have magical powers because as soon as he saw it, he felt himself calm down instantly.

Draco grabbed her hands and pulled her in for a hug that he had been craving for far too long for his taste. Hermione melted in his arms and felt his lips kissing the top of her head while his hands rubbed her back in a comforting manner.

"I can't lose you, Mia…And you will become Hermione Malfoy one day! I can promise you that much. And my little blond haired children will have their mother's curls." She could feel his smile on her neck, place where his head now rested.

"They will also have their mother's brain, if we're lucky enough…"They both laughed and just stood there in each other's arms until Arthur Weasley and his wife walked into the room. They looked at eachother but Molly was the one to speak.

"I'm sorry but in order for you to remain inside our house, we'll need to ask you a few questions. Please come downstairs immediately so you can drink the Veritaserum before we question you." With that, they both went downstairs, followed closely by Draco and Hermione.

They walked in the kitchen and Hermione saw that everyone was there and that was when the reality finally began to settle in. They didn't trust her. Apart from Harry, Draco, Fred, George and Sirius who all looked unhappy with this, nobody trusted her and she had never felt less welcome in her entire life.

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**I'm sorry that it took me this long to update but my twin brother is down with a very nasty cold and I try to keep him company. Anyways, here's your chapter. Please let me know what you think about it and I'll update as soon as possible.**

**Sarah**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 14**

Hermione sat on one of the kitchen chairs and drank the liquid that Molly handed her. She knew that it was the Veritaserum but she also knew that she had no other choice but drink it.

Everyone looked at her for a few seconds, waiting for the potion to take effect and the reality began to catch up with her once again. Apart from the ones who did trust her, everyone was scared of her. They still saw her as just another Death Eater and they wouldn't trust her that soon. She also noticed that a few hands had wands ready for action. The thought that they actually believed that she would do anything to hurt any of them hurt her more than what she thought that it would. Finally, Hermione felt a strong burn on her stomach, the clear indication that the potion had began to work.

Molly must have sensed that because in the same instant the woman stepped forward and began the interrogation. Hermione was glad that their methods of interrogation weren't like the ones that she was already used to see. The methods on the other side of the war were terrible enough to give her horrible nightmares for the nights that followed the witnessing of those scenes.

"Is it true that you are a Death Eater?" Hermione felt the words leaving her mouth without her control and she knew that this could end badly. There were a few things that she didn't want anyone to know, at least not yet. There were still some secrets that needed to be kept that way. For example, she didn't want anyone to know that Sirius was her father. She needed to give Harry a reassurance that his godfather would be by his side no matter what and she was almost sure that he wouldn't be that confident if he knew the truth about her family.

"Yes, it is!" Nobody seemed surprised with that answer because it was more than obvious that she was indeed one. The young witch was sure that that had been the only easy answer and she was right once again. Molly looked at Harry as if asking for his permission to go on but he didn't even look at her so the woman continued.

"Have you ever revealed any information about Harry or the Order to your Master?" That was the question that many people inside that room were dreading to ask and a tear made its way down her face when she felt the next words leaving her mouth.

"Yes, I have!" Everyone looked shocked with that answer. Hermione was guessing that they didn't want to believe that she was a traitor but she was. Draco looked at her with disgust written all over his face and left the room, followed closely by Harry who looked at her with a mix of anger, sadness and disgust. Hermione felt another tear making its way down her cheek but Molly didn't seem to be affected by that.

"Were those important to him?" Hermione fought not to give her the next answer but she wasn't strong enough so she had to blurt it out.

"Yes, they were important to him!" Sirius was the one who left the room after this answer and it killed her to know that her own father had lost his faith in her just like that. Fred and George looked at eachother but decided to leave too.

She was all alone now, or at least it felt like that. The room was full of people but Hermione had never felt more alone in her entire life. The only ones who had trusted her had left the room and had left her to face this awful interrogation all by herself.

She needed to leave this house as soon as possible.

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_Meanwhile with Harry and Draco…_

Draco was sitting on the bed that he had slept in the night before with Hermione by his side. Harry was sitting on a chair looking through the bedroom window. They didn't know what to say because there wasn't much to say about this situation.

They both wanted to believe that Hermione was not a traitor but the information that she had delivered downstairs was a proof that maybe she wasn't that loyal to them and to the Order.

Draco was trying to think about reasons why she had done this. He knew that her mother was completely crazy but she wasn't anything like that. The Hermione that he knew and loved was a sweet and kind girl that would never even dare to think about betraying her friends and her beliefs. Unless that had changed, he was pretty sure that she was not on the Dark side so he couldn't understand why she had given HIM information about her friends.

Harry was at a complete loss of what to do. He couldn't even think straight. The only thing on his mind was that she could be the only reason why the Dark Lord had found out things about him. She could have given his worst enemy vital information about him and how to defeat him.

Could things get any messier that this?

Suddenly, a loud scream was heard and both boys ran downstairs, immediately realizing that that voice belonged to Hermione without a shadow of a doubt.

As soon as they entered the kitchen they saw Hermione sitting on a corner with everyone as far away as possible, without actually leaving the kitchen. Draco and Harry didn't know what to do either. She was holding her left forearm with a tight grip and there were tears making its way down her scared face. Sirius rushed to her as soon as he saw what was going on and lifted her off the ground, carrying her to the couch. Draco and Harry followed them but everyone else was probably too scared to do so.

Sirius removed her hand from her arm and the boys saw that the image in the Dark Mark was moving and the area around it was very red. Hermione was twisting in pain and Sirius tried to soothe her, just like any father would do to try to take the pain away from his daughter. Draco asked the question that was on their minds:

"Sirius, what's going on with her?" Sirius sighed and turned to the boys standing there, looking worried and apprehensive at the same time.

"The Dark Lord must have found out that she betrayed him. He's calling her…that's why her arm is hurting so much. He must be very angry with her because it looks like he's using a lot of power to put her under this amount of pain." With that, Sirius turned back to his daughter just as Fred and George walked in the room.

"When will he stop that?" Harry asked with a hint of worry present on his shaky voice. This truly looked like torture.

"When he gets too tired, I suppose!" Sirius answered him right before he lifted Hermione off the couch. He carried her to one of the beds and for the second time in only 24 hours, he hoped that his daughter would get well soon. Harry and Draco sat next to Sirius on the bedroom while he tried to take the pain away from Hermione. George and Fred sat on the living room couch, waiting for good news.

Hermione just kept twisting and screaming in pain but she managed to hold on for enough time to look at the boys and say the words that she needed to say:

"There's someone in this house that has been selling information to the Death Eaters. That person gave me the information that I delivered to the Dark Lord. I'm sorry for everything, I really am. Good luck to every single one of you. I hope that you defeat him." With that and before anyone else could react to her words, Hermione grabbed her wand and touched her Mark with it. She was gone in a matter of seconds leaving behind the three boys that had no idea if they would ever see her alive again.

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**I'm sorry that it took this long but I barely had time to do as much as breathe this week. Anyway, please let me know what you think about it and I promise that the next chapter will up soon.**

**Sarah**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 15

Hermione opened her eyes. The pain had stopped and she was surrounded by black walls and very familiar furniture that she knew so well. She was in her bedroom, without a shadow of doubt. Hermione got up from the place on the floor where she had landed and decided to put that Gryffindor bravery to good use and look around. She was supposed to have landed on the place where the Dark Lord would be but she was absolutely sure that he was not in her bedroom.

Suddenly, she heard voices coming from downstairs and someone running up the stairs and she figured that they were coming to get her. She wasn't mistaken…

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The Order was breaking apart. Harry, Draco and Sirius had come downstairs and announced that Hermione was gone and that her last words to them were that there was a traitor among them. Several members decided that that was obviously a lie because no one would ever sell information about the Order to the Dark forces and that that was just an excuse that she had made up to convince them that she wasn't so bad after all. On the other hand, some members of the Order seemed to give that idea a lot of thought.

Draco's mind was somewhere far away from that. Hermione was one and he was almost sure that she had answered the Dark Lord's call. He knew what would happen to her as soon as they got her. Bellatrix would probably torture her until she was in so much pain that she couldn't stand up straight anymore. He knew that they wouldn't kill her right away…that was how it worked. They tortured their victims for days before actually killing them.

Harry was thinking about the exact same thing but he was also thinking about ways to get her out of there. He knew that no one else would support him but he wanted to save her. He got away from the mess that was slowly forming in the kitchen and went to one of the empty bedrooms. Draco and Sirius followed him there, both sensing what he wanted to do. They got inside and Sirius closed the door behind him. As soon as he did, Harry turned around and with a determinate look on his face, said:

"I want to go there and save her!" Draco agreed with him right away but Sirius jumped in the conversation.

"We can't, Harry!" Harry and Draco looked at him surprised because they both knew that he cared for Hermione and they had both thought that he would immediately support the idea of saving her. Before any of them could say anything, Sirius continued:

"I know that you both want to save her and I know how hard this will be for you but we can't save Hermione. She made her own choice, guys. As hard as this is, we have to let her be this time. Going there is far too dangerous. It's a risk that we can't take, at least not yet. We need to find the Hocruxes first and then we'll try to save her. For now, we have to try to take our minds out of this." Harry seemed ready to burst but Draco beat him to it.

"How can you even say that? She's not just another Death Eater…She's Hermione. She's the woman I love. She's the woman that has saved your life more than once, if my memory serves me right. She's the one who has always been there for all of us. We can't let her die! We have to save her, Sirius. She needs to be with us, not with those vile sick bastards that will end up killing her." Harry seemed to agree with every word that had left Draco's mouth but Sirius remained as calm as he could considering the situation. He sighed and sat on one of the beds.

"You are right, Draco. Believe me when I say that this is very hard for me to do but as sad as it might be, we have to think that Hermione has sacrificed herself for a good cause. We need to destroy the Dark Lord. I'm sure that you both plan to have kids someday and I'm sure that you don't want your kids to live in this kind of world. We need to do this and Hermione knew that we couldn't go and save her when she did that. She was fully aware that she would have to face the consequences of her actions all by herself. We need to do this. If you won't do it for the future generations, do it for her."

Draco and Harry sighed in defeat. They both knew that Sirius was right but it was still hard to hear those words because when they did, the reality began to sink in. It was extremely likely that Hermione wouldn't be able to survive for that long and that thought didn't please any of them. They needed to find the Hocruxes as soon as possible. It was settled: they would leave that night.

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Hermione screamed in pure agony but it seemed like she hadn't stopped yet. It was one scream after another and she wasn't sure how much more she would be able to take. Bellatrix, her own mother, was torturing her. In fact, it seemed like she was having the time of her life, with her wand pointed in her daughter's direction. Hermione knew that she looked far too happy with this all thing but she was way past caring with that. Bellatrix had never been a great mother so she was guessing that she wouldn't start now. The pain stopped once again and Bellatrix got closer to Hermione, with that sadistic smile on her face.

"Are you ready to apologize now and to tell us all about the Order and your involvement with it, my sweet little Hermione?" She knew that she was trying to break her like she had done with so many people before her but she wouldn't speak. She would never betray them.

"I'll do all that when finally decide to stop being a bitch and become a good mother. Is never good for you, mommy?" Hermione knew that she was pushing her luck but at that point the only thing that she wanted was to finish this as soon as possible. They were surrounded by Death Eaters that were having too much fun with the entire thing but it was normal for them.

Bellatrix resumed her position and offered Hermione a sweet and innocent smile.

"You know what happens with little girls that play with fire, my dear! Crucious!" Hermione screamed in pain once again. It felt like her entire body was on fire and the only thing that she could do was to scream because there was nothing else left for her.

The Death Eaters laughed of her pain but one in particular didn't seem to be pleased with and swore revenge under his breath and without anyone noticing, left the room.

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**So? What do you think about it? Please let me know and I'll update as soon as possible.**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed and please keep it coming…**

**Sarah**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 16**

Hermione sat on the cold and dark basement, a place that was so familiar to her but that it had never felt as bad as it did now. The prisoners were all gathered in that space, some of them even worse than her. Her throat hurt from all the yelling that she had done while her sweet and caring mother cursed her time and time again and she was pretty sure that she would be voiceless soon. Her insides were burning and her lungs fought for every breath but at least they hadn't killed her yet. To tell the truth, she wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not because this kind of torture was probably worse than death itself. Every single time that her mother pointed her wand at her, the pain that followed was impossible to describe. She had tried not to yell the first time because she didn't want to give them that pleasure but she couldn't help it. The pain was just too intense to try to ignore.

Her legs were numb and she couldn't stand anymore but she knew that Bellatrix would be back to continue her sick and twisted act of fun sooner or later.

Suddenly, the door of the basement opened and a dark tall figure walked inside. All the prisoners walked to a corner but Hermione didn't move. She wasn't naïve enough to think that they wouldn't catch her just because she was backed into a corner. Besides, she didn't have much to lose anyway. The worst thing that they could do was either torture her or kill her and the last one didn't sound that bad anymore.

The person dressed in black walked to Hermione and fought the sudden urge to slap her across the face. This girl didn't know her limits anymore and someone needed to make her see the reason. She had been so incredibly stupid that she didn't seem to be the smart and brave girl that he knew so well. He would make her listen to him.

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Sirius was calm. Sirius was too calm. Sirius was so calm that it was getting on Harry's last nerves and Draco didn't seem to be any better than him.

Sirius was reading a book that talked about the Hocruxes and Harry couldn't wrap his mind around the idea that they weren't going to do anything to get Hermione out of that prison.

Finally, he couldn't keep his mouth shut anymore and spoke:

"How can you even think about doing anything else but save her?" He yelled, completely out of frustration.

Sirius sighed because there wasn't much more to say about that particular subject.

"Harry, we already discussed this. We have other priorities at the moment!"

Draco was the one to blow up this time because he couldn't believe that the man that Hermione had risked her life for wasn't even worried with her.

"I don't understand how you can say that…She should be our number one priority right now! We should save her first and then we could find out who's the traitor and where are the damn Hocruxes. We need to get her out of there. I never entered the room where they tortured people but I could hear them scream all over the house. It's horrible and I don't want them to do that to her. We need to get her out of there as soon as possible…"

Sirius sighed once again and looked at Harry and Draco's angry and frustrated faces. They were right, he knew that better than anyone else but they also needed to trust him with this. He knew what he was doing.

"Boys, we already talked about this and I already told you that you don't need to worry that much. I can assure you that she'll be able to survive and that we will manage to see her again. Just trust me on this, okay?"

Draco wasn't too keen on that idea and he had never been one to shut up when he didn't like something.

"How can you be so sure about that?"

Sirius closed the book and sat on a chair, across from the boys that were intently staring at him, figuring that he had something to say about that.

"Fine, I'll tell you something but after this, we won't talk about that subject anymore and there will be no more questions. I have someone there that has promised to keep an eye on her and to help her no matter how bad the situation was. The person won't let them kill Hermione, no matter what he has to do to stop it. Trust me when I say that Hermione is in good hands. Now, this is the end of the talk and I won't answer to anything else. I can't promise you that they won't torture her but they won't kill her, that's for sure. So, if we are done here, please help me with the books. We need to do this as soon as possible!"

Harry and Draco were still a bit suspicious but they had learned to trust Sirius and they knew that he wouldn't lie to them about something as important as this. They both walked to the chairs and started to help him with all the books. This was going to be harder than what they had first thought.

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Hermione was staring intently at the dark figure that was standing in front of her but she wasn't scared, for some unknown reason. She had the feeling that she should be terrified because she was sure that she couldn't survive another session of torture. Suddenly, the man raised his wand and a thin light appeared on it, but strong enough to reveal his face. Hermione heard a sigh of relief leave her lips as the figure made itself known.

"You are a fool, witch!" He said, in an angry whisper.

Hermione was happy to have Severus Snape as company but she didn't like to have him around when he was angry, especially when she was on the receiving end of said anger.

"I'm not a fool, Severus! I did what Dumbledore asked me to do and now Sirius is safe and helping Harry!" Now, Snape seemed to be even angrier than before. He started to pace around in front of her and did that for a few seconds. When he finally stopped, he lowered himself to her level and grabbed her chin to make her look at him while he talked.

"Dumbledore was a stupid old man that had no right to ask you to do the things that he did. He had no right to ruin your life like this. Hermione, he knew that this was a suicidal mission…He knew that if you did what he asked you to do, they would make you pay for it and he didn't care. If you are risking your life because of the things that he asked you to do then you are a bloody fool!"

Hermione whispered back because her voice was starting to fail. Snape still kept a tight grip on her chin to make eye-contact with the stubborn witch.

"My loyalty belongs to Dumbledore and the Order. I did what he asked me to do because I thought that it was for the best. I did what he asked me to do because I know that this is the best way to help Harry. I did what I had to do and if you can't support me then you're not half the man I thought you were, Severus!"

"You can accuse me of a lot of things, Mia, but lack of support isn't amongst them. You know that I've always had your back no matter how reckless I thought you were being but I think that this is just too much. Why didn't you stay were you were? You were safe in the Burrow…"

Hermione sighed and this time, he dropped her chin obviously sensing the change in the mood of the conversation.

"I couldn't stay there… They didn't trust me, not even a bit!" Snape sighed and sat next to her, not caring about getting dirt on his robes. Hermione laid her head on his shoulder and Snape stroked her head, on a rare gesture that showed just how much he cared about the girl that was like a daughter to him.

"And how is my godson?"

This time, Hermione wasn't strong enough to answer to him. Her eyes began to water and she couldn't hold her tears in. She missed Draco a lot more than what she was prepared to admit. That kiss that they had shared had been one of the best memories that she had of the past few days and being in his arms had given her a sense of security that she was lacking now. She needed him. She needed his trust too but the way he had left the room had showed that maybe he didn't trust her that much.

Hermione wasn't sure how to feel about that but she knew that no matter what, her conscience was clean and that she had only done things that would benefit the Order and that would help them to destroy the one that had caused so much fear in their world.

Severus wiped away her tears and kissed her forehead before whispering in her ear:

"Just stay calm and I'll take you out of here as soon as possible! Please try not to annoy them too much…"

With that much said, Severus Snape got up and left the basement, right after cleaning the memories of the other prisoners. Hermione just sighed and tried to sleep but images of the horrible scenes that she had witnessed and of the torture that she had been a victim of haunted her and she couldn't bring herself to close her eyes. This was harder than what she thought that it would be. She thought that she would b dead by now…

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**Thank you for the reviews…Please keep them coming and I'll keep writing. Tell me what you think about it…**

**Next chapter: Hermione gets back to the Burrow? Read to find out…**

**Sarah**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 17**

Draco and Harry were sitting on the couch, waiting for Sirius to finish cooking lunch. They were already in the search for the Hocruxes so the tent was the only space where they could eat and sleep. The environment outside of their protective shields was just too dangerous for them.

They had left the Burrow three weeks ago and things were going far better than what they had first imagined. With all the books and the knowledge that Dumbledore had shared with Hermione and that she had shared with Sirius, the search wasn't that difficult. They had already found four Hocruxes and had destroyed them all in that short space of time. The biggest difficulty that they had to face was the constant attacks of the Death Eaters. Voldemort knew that they were getting closer so his followers were doing everything they could to stop them.

Suddenly, Sirius dropped the plate and a scream left his mouth. Draco and Harry rushed to the kitchen and found him sitting on the floor holding his head and with pain evident in his features.

"What's going on, Sirius?" Harry asked, without knowing what to do to help him. He removed his hands from his head and breathed in to ease the pain.

"Someone is trying to get in my head…I think that it's Snape!" Both boys looked surprised with this and what happened after shocked them even more. Sirius stopped trying to fight back and let him get inside his head. They waited for what he would say after the connection was over.

_Sirius, I have Hermione with me. She's badly hurt and I had to take her out of there because they were going to kill her in front of you and the boys. Open the shield and I'll throw her inside. Make sure that you catch her before she hits the ground. She's unconscious so she won't be able to stop her fall. Are you listening to me?_

_Yes, I'm listening. Is there anyone else there with you besides Hermione?_

_No, we're alone. They didn't saw us leave and it will take them a while to realize what happened. Are you going to open the shield or not?_

_Are you coming inside too?_

_No, I have to go back. _

_You should stay with us. We could use your help and besides, you'll be safer here._

_You need friends on the other side too, Sirius. I'll go but please make sure that you keep your daughter safe. She has a special ability that basically consists on getting in trouble over and over again. I'd tie her to a very big pole of I were you._

_Don't worry, Snape. We'll take care of her._

_I know that you will and I'm sure that those two boys won't let her leave their sight. Now, open the shield and make sure that she doesn't land on the ground._

Sirius snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the boys that were surprised and curious at the same time.

"Snape had to take Hermione out of there because the Death Eaters were going to kill her soon. He's going to leave her here. I just have to open the shield and grab her before she falls."

Harry couldn't help but smile and Draco's eyes lighten up. They got up and Draco turned to Sirius:

"What are we waiting for then?" Sirius sighed before answering him.

"Draco, she's been there for more than three weeks…She's not in good shape. I need you to know that before you look at her. I don't want unnecessary shocks. Just remember that she'll be fine here with us. You want her to be here, right?" They both nodded and as soon as they did, Sirius got up and went outside, followed closely by Draco and Harry with their wand in their hands to help him. They saw Snape immediately. He was on his broom, just outside the shield and with Hermione on his arms. Sirius made a hole on the shield and, from their places on the ground, Harry and Draco could see Snape kissing Hermione's forehead in a rare act of affection. Then, he dropped her and Sirius managed to stop her body just a few inches away from the ground. The boys ran there and grabbed Hermione's unconscious body as Sirius closed the shield. Snape nodded and flied away.

He knew that she would be safe with them but he also knew that the times ahead of them wouldn't be easy for any of the sides involved in this war. He would keep his cover as long as possible but he was well aware that he would never be able to hurt any of his friends, even if that was enough to get him killed. Severus had just risked his life to save Hermione Granger and he knew that even if he got caught, he didn't have any regrets when it came to that action.

He had met her on the day that she had turned one year old and she had earned a special place in his heart since that day.

Snape also knew that Draco would do anything to keep her safe and away from any harm. He really loved her and Snape would be willing to bet that they would be the first couple to get married, most likely right after the war.

Yes, because Severus Snape knew that the Light would eventually win this war. Even though people feared Voldemort, they supported the ones who offered them peace and freedom. They just needed all the help they could get and Snape knew that with Hermione by their side, nothing would be able to stop them anymore.

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Draco carried Hermione to an empty bed and looked at her. Her face was dirty and her clothes were a giant mess but she didn't look as badly hurt as Sirius had warned them that she could be. Harry sat on the end of the bed and Sirius started to check her body for any major wounds with his wand. The yellow light showed up a few times especially when the wand touched her chest. They guessed that her lungs were hurt but other than that, she was fine. Well, she wasn't exactly fine but after three weeks of torture they thought that she would be a lot worse than what she was.

Sirius went to the kitchen and Harry followed him, sensing that Draco would want to stay with Hermione until she woke up. Draco lay down next to Hermione and gathered her in his arms, noticing that she hid her head on his shoulder as she had always done, even though she was unconscious. There, with the woman he loved on his arms, Draco knew that they would be okay and that they were strong enough to destroy the Dark Lord and his followers.

They would do this and she would be by their side every step of the way. That thought alone made him close his eyes and fell in a deep slumber, something that he needed badly. He slept comforted with the fact that he would wake up with Hermione by his side and in his arms.

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**Hi people! My name is Andrew and I'm Sarah's brother. She's been dealing with a few problems so she asked me to update her story. She wrote the chapter…I just gave the finishing touches.**

**She'll be back to you as soon as possible and she promised an update until the end of this week. **

**Anyway, she also wants me to send a very big 'THANK YOU' to ItsOnMars for the amazing support and the great reviews.**

**She said that she's already working on the last chapter of the story and I have no idea of what she's planning because she went as far as protecting the file with a password.**

**Well, leave a review and tell her (and me) what you think about this chapter.**

**Andrew**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 18**

Snape walked in the enormous mansion and was immediately surrounded by the other Death Eaters, soulless people who did nothing except following the orders of a man who had no idea of what it meant to be a human being. Bellatrix was the first one to ask him what they were all dreading to know which was weird because one of their 'rules' was to torture first and ask questions later.

"Where's Hermione?" She looked angry beyond belief but Snape knew how to lie well, something that he had learned with endless years of practice.

"Hermione escaped because of you. It's your entire fault!" He said this with as much anger as he could fake. Bellatrix seemed to be surprised but he knew that she wouldn't give up that easily.

"You were supposed to keep an eye on her…you are the one who let her go! Do not blame this on me, Snape!"

"You were the one who taught her how to do wandless magic, you were the one who always insisted on making her the best witch this world has ever seen, you were the one who taught her how to survive any situation without effort and you were the one who taught her everything she knows! She escaped because of you!" Bellatrix frowned and left the room, with slow steady steps. No one dared to ask what was going on but as soon as he saw her climbing up the huge staircase, Snape sighed and followed her knowing that the woman that everyone hated had indeed a heart that was about to break and someone needed to pick up the pieces.

He found her on the one that used to be Hermione's bedroom. She was sitting on the bed, looking intently at the walls. She had painted them exactly as Hermione had wanted. The walls were light blue and the ceiling was pale pink. That was exactly as Hermione liked it. Snape sat next to Bellatrix and they stood in silence. The woman was the one to break it, with a voice that was extremely uncharacteristic to her.

"I tried so hard…I tried so hard and it looks like it wasn't hard enough. Where have I failed, Severus?"

Snape knew exactly what she meant even without asking.

"You haven't failed, Bella! Hermione is an amazing witch and you should be proud of that."

"She's fighting against the ones who have been with her through her entire life. She's fighting on the wrong side, Severus. I failed as a teacher and as a mother."

"Hermione might be fighting for the wrong side but she's still using what you taught her. You didn't fail as a teacher and you taught her how to survive in any situation. That makes you a good mother. Yes, you are completely crazy and you have spent hours torturing your own daughter but I know that deep down you do care about her and you do love her. Hermione has a mind of her own, Bella! She's too much like her father…"

Bellatrix gave him a very light smile, obviously remembering something that had happened.

"You know, you're completely right…Sirius was just like Hermione. He was very stubborn and extremely powerful. He had everything that he needed to be a very good Death Eater but that heart of his was too pure…Just like Hermione, I guess!"

"I need to ask you something, Bella, and I need you to tell me the truth. If it came to that, would you be able to kill Hermione?"

The witch seemed to be lost in her own thoughts for a few seconds in which Snape could swear that he had seen a hint of sadness on her eyes but that left as soon as it had came and before he knew it, the Bellatrix that everyone knew and feared was back. The woman got up and looked at him with a determinate look n her face before answering his question:

"Yes, I would. My loyalty lays upon the Dark Lord. Hermione isn't worth that much."

"You are completely heartless, Bellatrix!" She laughed before making her way to the door. She was about to leave but she turned back to him and smiled.

"I'm not heartless, Snape. I just know what's right…"

And with that, she left the room leaving Snape alone, thinking that it was a miracle that Hermione had turned how that good with a mother like this.

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Hermione opened her eyes and immediately felt a hand resting on one of hers. She tried to sit on the bed but as soon as she did, said hand rested on her stomach and pushed her back down. It was very dark so she couldn't see a thing but she could still feel everything. She could feel that she was lying on a soft bed and that she was completely covered with sheets and other things to keep her warm. She could feel a warm body next to her and she could feel the person's arms surrounding her wais and pulling her to a very well built chest that had been created after years of Quidditch practice.

Hermione relaxed and allowed Draco to do that because she needed to feel that sense of security that no one else could give her but him. She opened her mouth to talk but Draco sensed this and whispered in her ear:

"If you dare to talk, I'll put my very cold hands underneath your shirt." She was about to protest but he beat her to it once again.

"Mia, I haven't had a good night of sleep ever since you left Hogwarts with them so please let me sleep now that I know that you're safe and that I'll wake up next to you. Please, just let me sleep. We'll talk tomorrow!" Hermione sighed and turned around in his arms. Now, she had her head resting right by his chest and his arms were still surrounding her as if afraid to let go. She pushed herself up and kissed him softly.

"I love you, Draco!" Before she could react, Draco crashed his lips on hers with a lot more strength and passion and she kissed him back. When they both needed air, Draco pulled back and whispered in her ear:

"I love you too, princess!" Hermione leaned in and kissed him again. She had missed him way too much and every kiss just left her craving more of him. Draco felt exactly like she did and when he kissed her neck and she moaned, he knew that sleep would not be an option on the near future.

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**I know that this chapter is short but I didn't know what else to do with it. BTW, they used a silencing charm, just in case you were wondering. We don't need to traumatize Harry and Sirius just yet.**

**I want to make something clear here: I am working on the next chapter but it's not that good, the only reason why It has a password is because my brother is dying to know how this ends and I want to piss him off.**

**Now, I need your help with something. I don't know if I should write the final battle as epilogue or of I should write it on a regular chapter and use another thing as epilogue. If I use the final battle in the epilogue, I might consider a sequel. If I write the final battle on a regular chapter, there will be no sequel but there will possible be a new story. How would you prefer?**

**Sarah**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 19**

The moon was shinning as bright as in any other regular night, illuminating the entire forest. To anyone who wasn't aware of the Dark forces that were gaining strength at every single minute that went by, this was just a regular night with a beautiful moon high in the sky. However, Hermione Granger knew that it was anything but. Her forearm was hurting and that only meant trouble. Whenever the Dark Lord called, it meant that he had terrible plans that should be executed as soon as possible. She never answered those calls, obviously but she felt the pain that came with them every time.

It had been four weeks since she had joined Harry, Sirius and Draco. She had learned how to hide that pain from them because she didn't want to get them worried about her but tonight it was starting to get to her. They were all sleeping so she knew that if she moved slowly enough, they wouldn't notice that she was up. Her biggest problem would be Draco. His arm was around her waist, keeping her close to his own body. This was how she loved to sleep but tonight it just made her task to get up a lot more complicated. She managed to slowly remove his arms from its place on her body and got up as silently as possible. Draco didn't seem affected by his lack of company and kept on sleeping, much to her relief.

Hermione walked to the kitchen and grabbed a glass of milk to try to calm her nerves. The truth was that she couldn't ignore that the end was near. Yes, it sounded dramatic but it was also the truth. They were all aware that the Dark Lord wouldn't wait forever to end this. He would try to destroy them all as soon as possible and the pain on her forearm was a clear reminder of that. He was planning something that much she knew and it was probably something that would end up badly for many people. She feared that her friends would be amongst those people.

Suddenly, there was a noise behind her and that made her jump and turn around in a quick movement.

"Calm down, it's just me!" Draco stood there with a sleepy look on his face and the aspect of someone who had just woken up. Hermione calmed down a bit and sat down on one of the kitchen chairs, waiting for him to either go back to bed or sit down next to her. Draco understood that and sat down on the closest chair that he could find, grabbing Hermione's milk on the way and taking a sip. He looked at Hermione and, even though she was trying hard not to show any kind of emotions, he could still read her like a book. Draco sighed and scooted closer to her, so close that she could easily rest her head on his shoulder if she wanted to.

"Does your arm hurt again?" Hermione knew that lying to him would be impossible so she just nodded.

"Why didn't you wake me up, then?" Hermione offered him a light smile when those words left his mouth. It was cute how much he cared but it was not necessary when it came to this.

"Why would I wake you up? It's already bad enough that one of us can't sleep…There's no need for both of us to stay awake all night!" Even though he was half-asleep, Hermione knew that he wouldn't let that sentence get away without some sort of witty remark. The smirk that followed did not disappoint her.

"You didn't seem to have a problem with that the other night but I might be wrong." Hermione just rolled her eyes but she knew that this was his way to try to lighten up the mood and she was thankful for that. She got up from her chair and sat on his lap. Draco wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder, kissing her head at the same time. His warm body always managed to surprise her. Even though he was shirtless, which by the way was a great sight to be seen, his chest was still warm and he didn't look cold. The temperature inside their comfortable 'home' was always warm but her temperature always dropped whenever she went through the pain caused by the Mark.

They stood in silence for a few seconds until they were interrupted by someone clearing his throat right behind them. They both turned in the direction of the noise and relaxed once they saw who was there. Harry seemed to share a similar problem but with his head instead. The mark that Voldemort had left on his forehead was burning as bright as ever and there were nights in which he could barely sleep.

"I'm sorry…I didn't know that you were both here. Am I interrupting something?" Hermione shook her head and went back to cuddling in Draco's chest. Harry got closer to them and sat on Hermione's empty chair. Harry had accepted their relationship right away, even saying that he had seen that coming a long time ago. He had no problems with witnessing their constant public displays of affection, as opposite to Sirius who always managed to leave the room or turn around whenever they shared a touch that he considered inappropriate to watch. Sirius had also accepted their relationship, of course, but she was still his daughter and he just couldn't watch certain things between her and her boyfriend even though he knew that Draco was a great guy and a true gentleman to his little girl. Harry would actually laugh whenever they kissed in front of Sirius just to either piss him off or embarrass him beyond belief, depending on his mood.

"You can't sleep either?" He asked Hermione, with a worried look adorning his features. Hermione just shook her head once again and Harry understood that she didn't want to talk about that. Draco turned to Harry then.

"You know what I think? I think that you both need to go to sleep…I know that I do. Now, you are both going to your beds and close your eyes. Just forget about everything else and sleep because we both know that the pain isn't the only reason why you can't sleep. You are both worried with everything that it's happening around us and I am too but we need to be strong to face whatever he's preparing. Are we clear?"

Harry couldn't fight with that logic. He got up, kissed Hermione's head and went back to his bedroom. Hermione made no move to get up but Draco knew that she was convinced by his words too. Her problem was the strength to actually get up and walk to the bed. Draco took her in his arms and carried her to their bed. He laid down next to her and pulled her as close to him as humanly possible. They needed to sleep to gather strength for what was to come. Little did they knew that the one that would be the final battle was closer than what they could possible imagine.

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**Hi! I'm sorry that this chapter took so long to come out but my week was absolutely crazy. I had so many things to do that I barely had time to turn on the computer. Anyway, next week will hopefully be calmer and I'll try to update as soon as possible.**

**Reviews make me work harder,**

**Sarah**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 20 (and last – Check AN on the end of the chapter please!)**

This was it, the day that they had been waiting for and dreading at the same time. The final battle was happening right in the middle of Hogwarts and the only way to stop it was killing Voldemort. Hermione was walking right in the middle of a destroyed hallway that she vaguely recognized as the hallway that lead to Potion's classroom. There was nobody there but she was carrying her wand ready for action if needed. Harry and Draco were trying to take all the students to somewhere safer than the hallways of the now destroyed school to stop them from getting hurt. They knew that the Death Eaters wouldn't hesitated in killing every single one of them and that was a scary thought but Hermione wasn't there with them for a good reason. She would solve one problem at the time. She opened the door of the Great Hall and what she saw there made her smile. Bellatrix was already there as were many other Death Eaters. Bellatrix smiled when she saw her daughter and walked to her.

"It's not too late, my dear innocent child. Tell us where does your loyalty lay and we might consider not killing you. Now, how is it going to be?"

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Draco and Harry had finally managed to clear the hallways and they were walking to the Great Hall followed by the Order. Sirius was right besides Harry with a worried and apprehensive loon adorning his features.

"Has anyone seen Hermione?" A soon as those words left Sirius mouth, Harry saw how much the mood changed amongst them. The reality of the entire situation was finally catching up to them. Even though they knew that Hermione had left to search the remaining hallways, they knew that chances were that many of them would not make it through the evening and that the body count would be big, even if they won.

Draco opened the doors to the Great Hall and what he saw there both shocked him and surprised him. Hermione was standing right next to Bellatrix with an evil smile on her face. All the Death Eaters were there and she was in the middle of them, something that shocked every single member of the Order. For a few seconds, no one dared to speak but after that time, Hermione walked to them with that evil smile on her face and pointed her wand at Sirius with a look on her face that Draco couldn't read no matter how much he tried to.

"Where's Arthur Weasley?" Sirius shook his head, a clear indication that he wouldn't speak. Hermione made her wand touch his forehead and asked one more time.

"I will not repeat my question again. Where's Arthur Weasley?" Before anyone could say anything, Arthur walked forward and stood right in front of her. His kids were afraid of what would happen to their father but Hermione was far from caring.

She called him and he walked forward. She gave him a sweet smile and pointed her wand at his head.

"Get on your knees!" Arthur did as ordered; knowing that what was to come would not be good for him.

"Mother, remember when you asked me where my loyalty laid?" Bellatrix laughed a bit before saying that she did remember. Hermione continued:

"Remember that my answer to that question was that my loyalty laid upon the Dark Lord?" Bellatrix gave her the same answer and Hermione continued once again.

"I lied, mother!" Hermione turned to Bellatrix, turning her back to the kneeling Arthur Weasley. "My loyalty lays upon the ones that have been with me during the ones who were simultaneous the hardest and the better days of my life. My loyalty lays upon the Order and Harry." Bellatrix tried to speak but Hermione wouldn't let her. "For years you have tried to make me be just like you but it didn't work. I'd rather die than become like you!"

Arthur took this opportunity to try to get up but Hermione turned around quickly and pointed her wand at his head once again. Arthur shook a bit but Hermione laughed, surprising Harry and Draco.

"Don't worry, I won't kill you. You are nothing but a sick twisted bastard who will pay for his actions but I'm not cruel enough to kill you in front of your kids. I'd rather see you die by the hands of someone who will have a lot more anger against you than I have. After all, you betrayed the Order by selling information to the Dark Lord. I'm sure that someone will end up doing my dirty work and will make sure that you get exactly what you deserve." As soon as these words left her mouth, Voldemort showed up and the battle began.

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"Dear fellow fighters, we are gathered here today to pay homage to the ones that died during the one that has already been considered the biggest battle of our noble world." Minerva started her speech with these simple words that meant so much to the ones who had witnessed the horror that had been fighting against the dark wizards that had no problems with killing everyone that dared to do as much as look at them. Those words had a strong meaning to the ones that had seen the entire school surrounded by the Dark forces and that had seen the hallways filled with dead students, students that they knew and familiar faces that had been around for longer than what they could remember.

"We lost many friends but I dare to say that it was all worth it in the end because we managed to make our world safer to everyone. We own that to our heroes, the ones that didn't even blink in the face of danger, the ones that did everything they could do make this world safe again, the ones who gave up the best years of their life knowing that there were no guarantees of surviving just so we could breathe in peace…"

Hermione felt a single tear making its way down her face as she remembered the ones that had lost their life in the battle that decided the faith of the magical world.

_Fred Weasley_

_Fred was the unlucky one that found Bellatrix first and unfortunately for him she was not in a good mood. They found his dead body on the top of the staircase that led to the Gryffindor common room, the floor covered with his blood. Ginny ran to him and cried in his chest, covering her own clothes with her brother's blood until Harry went to her and pulled her to her feet and into his arms._

_Lavender Brown_

_Hermione found her near the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. As soon as she saw the huge pole of blood that had poured out of her neck, she knew that she had been killed by Greyback. That was his mark. He killed all his victims with a fatal cut on the neck. He wasn't a fan of the killing curse because he said that no one suffered enough with that curse and he liked to inflict pain on his victims._

_Gregory Goyle_

_Draco had found his friend by the entrance of the Slytherin common room with no traces of blood on his body. He had definitely been killed with the killing curse. Draco felt bad for him but there was no time for that. They needed to move on and do what had to be done. Hermione touched his shoulder in a comforting manner and he kissed her forehead, knowing that she had been close to Goyle too. _

_Rubeus Hagrid_

_He fought by their side until the very last minute even though he hated to fight. He died by the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange while trying to stop her from killing Draco. As soon as he dropped to the floor, Draco raised his wand ready to kill her but he would never forgive himself if he were to kill Hermione's mother. He sighed and put his wand down. Bellatrix just laughed and began to utter the killing curse but before she could finish it, a green light hit her and she dropped to the floor. Draco looked to the side and saw Hermione with her wand raised and a look on her eyes that he couldn't read. She had just killed her mother. Hermione ran to him and gave him a quick hug before dropping on her knees next to the man that had been a great friend to her. She began to cry but Draco was quick to pull her up and take her out of there before someone found them._

_Viktor Krum_

_Harry fought by his side but there was nothing that he could have done to stop his tragic death. One of the Death Eaters had been faster than him and had killed Viktor without giving the boys time to react. He dropped to the floor and Harry ran after the Death Eater that had killed him._

_Alastor Moody_

_Hermione found his dead body and Greyback by his side. He called her a traitor and raised his wand. Before anyone else could react, Greyback was killed by a green light that shot out of Snape's wand. Hermione turned to him and he instructed her to run. She did as he ordered without questioning the one that had been like a father to her._

_Severus Snape_

_Without realizing, Hermione ran straight into Voldemort that was comfortably sitting on the chair that had once belonged to Dumbledore, the place where he always sat while on the Great Hall. As soon as he saw Hermione, he smiled at her and raised his wand, saying that he was finally going to kill the one that had betrayed him. Hermione saw her wand flying off her hand and knew that there was nothing else that she could do. She had open wounds on her forehead, back, arms and legs and she had seen many lifeless bodies lying in the hallways. She wasn't strong enough to fight back anymore. She would die with the conscience that she had done everything she could to help Harry and the Order and that was enough for her. Voldemort uttered the killing curse and a green light shot out of his wand. Hermione braced herself for the impact but it never came. She opened her eyes and saw Voldemort's surprised expression right before he disappeared. She looked to the floor and what she saw made her freeze and brought tears to her eyes. Snape was lying on the floor, dead. He had died for her. He had stopped her from dying by taking the killing curse himself. Hermione dropped to her knees and cried on his chest for at least ten minutes. That's how long it took for Draco to find her and take her out of there._

Hermione felt the tears on her cheeks and cleaned them quickly. She felt her husband's hand on the small of her back, offering her the comfort that she desperately needed at that time. Harry was sitting in front of her with Ginny, his wife and the mother of his three children named Albus, Lilly and James. Ron was sitting on the other side with his wife Luna and their two children named Rosa and Hugo. Sirius was sitting next to them with the ghosts of the past haunting his eyes but trying hard not to show it for everyone else's good.

Hermione and Draco were sitting on the back with their two boys. Severus was 4 years old and Scorpio was 6 years old. The baby growing inside of her was still to be named because they couldn't tell if it would be a boy or a girl but they still had three more months to go before his/her birth. Sirius spoiled his grandchildren at every single opportunity but neither Draco nor Hermione had a problem with that because Narcissa did exactly the same. She always insisted on having one dinner or lunch per week so she could spend the entire day with the kids. She still lived in the Malfoy Manor that had been demolished and reconstructed years ago, right after the end of the war. Draco and Hermione had built a similar one nearby and lived there with their children.

It had been exactly ten years since the battle and they had all moved on with their life but once every single year the pain hit them full force. On the anniversary of the final battle they all thought about the ones that had died and the pain came back to them.

They were happy, no matter what because they had made the world a safer place to everyone and because they were all still together. They were all surrounded by people that loved them and that was all they could ask for. They were safe and loved.

All it's well when it ends well.

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Now, the kids will go to the following houses:

Rose – Hufflepuff

Hugo – Gryffindor

James – Gryffindor

Lilly – Hufflepuff

Albus – Slytherin

Scorpio – Slytherin

Severus – Slytherin

Emma (the baby that had yet to be named) – Gryffindor

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**This is it! This is the end of the story! I won't write a sequel because I think that there's not much left to say but I might start a new story soon.**

**I want to send a very special 'THANK YOU' to the ones who have reviewed nearly all my chapters of this story.**

**Thank you ItsOnMars for reviewing every single chapter!**

**This is it but I would really appreciate if you reviewed telling me what you think about this chapter and the entire story!**

**Thank you,**

**Sarah**


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